Konoha High School Host Club
by trithree
Summary: Ouran HS Host Club meets Naruto in this story when the hottest boys of the Naruto universe join together in a host club of their own at their local ninja high school. Follow Minato, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Gaara, Itachi, and Sai as they form new relationships & bonds through their organization. Sort of a crossover fic but there aren't any Ouran characters. There are 2 main OCs.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Why the plural pronoun? That's because this story was written by three people! It took us 6 months.

* * *

 _Koharu stopped herself right in front of Kakashi, and leaned in._

 _"Kakashi the Copy Ninja," she whispered._

 _The grey-haired ninja flinched ever so slightly at the intensity in her voice. She smirked when she got the reaction she wanted out of him._

 _"Oh, and try not to pass out from chakra exhaustion," Koharu quipped._

 _Kakashi scoffed and leaned in as well._

 _"Well try not to fly away from your fear of failure, Bird of Konoha," he hissed back._

* * *

It was a bright morning in Konohagakure when Koharu Hachidori woke up to the sound of her obnoxiously loud alarm clock ringing. The sleepy brunette sighed and rolled over, turning it off.

 _There is no way it's time to wake up already, she thought, struggling to keep her eyes open._

The green-eyed girl rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and threw her blankets off of her, climbing out of bed. She slowly made her way to the bathroom and swung the door open. Still half asleep, she tried to brush her brown tangled hair.

 _My hair is two birds away from becoming a bird's nest…_

Koharu quickly finished getting ready and tossed her uniform on, attaching a shuriken holder to her thigh, right where her dress stopped. She gave one final look in the mirror and sighed.

"Whatever. It's just school, anyways."

Koharu grabbed a breakfast bar and her school bag labeled "KH" and headed out the door.

In class, the tired brunette sat spinning her pen around her fingers, ignoring the basic taijutsu knowledge her teacher insisted on going over for at least the third time. She looked out the window and watched as the grade below her sparred on the school's training grounds. _That looks fun._

The kunoichi attended Konoha High School, an academy for ninja in training. Shinobi of the village typically went through the school before graduating and entering into higher jobs around the village.

Koharu was a third-year student and one of the top in her class. She didn't see the need to go through the school system when it made more sense to just help the village as a capable ninja, but she was forced into the system anyways.

The bored shinobi looked back up to the teacher.

 _At least we get missions every so often…_

The bell rang and the ninja in training rushed out of the room, eager to move on with their day. She sighed, grabbed her bag, and began walking to her next class.

Koharu's day continued to get duller and duller, until she was dismissed from her last class of the day.

 _Finally, I can go home!_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Konoha High School Host Club, Kakashi was sitting on a couch reading one of the books from the Icha Icha series. He shut the book and sighed.

 _If I have stay here any longer, I might actually die of boredom…_

He stood up and stretched. "Minato, I think I'm going to leave a little early. I'm getting bored, and there are other things I could be doing right now."

The copy ninja began to move toward the door as Minato stood up. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BORED? AS PRESIDENT OF THIS HOST CLUB I DEMAND YOU STAY!"

Kakashi continued to walk out. "See you later guys," he waved his hand without turning around, closing the door behind him.

"Some host club member he is…" Minato grumbled as he sat back down, crossing his arms.

As soon as the grey-haired shinobi stepped outside of the room, he breathed a sigh of relief.

 _Thank goodness… I didn't think that would actually work._

Generally, he found being with the Host Club enjoyable, but today he just wasn't feeling it. Kakashi knew there was only one place that could cure his boredom: the Konoha bookstore.

* * *

As Koharu was walking home, she passed one of her favorite bookstores. _There's no harm in going in, right? I think I've earned it…_

She opened the door and smiled as the smell of books washed over her, and walked over to the "Classics" aisle.

 _There's no way I'm going to be able to find a book that tops the last one I read!_

As the brunette made her way over to the aisle, she noticed that someone else was there too. She set down her bag and started browsing for books next to him.

The kunoichi smiled as she continued to scan over the titles in front of her. _I didn't realize other people my age were into the same books as me!_

However, when Koharu looked over and saw the books the guy her age was looking at, her smile turned into a scowl.

Annoyed, she audibly scoffed. "Is that really what you like to read in your free time? How… _perverted._ "

Kakashi turned his head at the comment and realized that the girl was talking to him. His face flushed as he tried to come up with an excuse, but nothing came out except stammers.

"I… I was…They aren't actually…"

Koharu rolled her eyes and turned back to the bookshelf, continuing to search for another book.

 _Read it… Own it… Read it twice..._ she thought as she checked the books off in her head.

Kakashi, still flustered, took this as his opportunity to leave. He grabbed his bag and quickly rushed out of the store.

Once Koharu finally found something she thought looked interesting, she walked over to the counter to pay for it. When she was done she slipped the book into her bag, slung it over her shoulders, and walked out of the store.

As soon as Koharu got home she tossed her bag on the table and opened it up. She reached her hand inside to grab the book, but something pricked her finger.

"What the...?"

The brunette looked inside to see several kunai and shuriken lazily tossed into the bag. She furrowed her eyebrows. _This is definitely not my bag…_

Koharu reached further down into the bag and pulled out a copy of one of the _Icha Icha_ books, which was hidden under her new classic. She leaned back in her chair and groaned at her sudden realization.

 _That pervert must have grabbed my bag when he tried to flee from the store._

Koharu crossed her arms as she thought about what to do. _I bet Minato can help me._

As she got up to leave, the door flew open, and none other than Minato himself ran in.

"KOHARU!I haven't seen you in forever!" Minato exclaimed as he launched himself at her.

Koharu laughed and hugged her friend back. "Just the person I was looking for! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Jiraiya about his new book." He looked around. "He _cannot_ just end it like that… With such a big cliffhanger too!"

Koharu rolled her eyes and turned around to go get the bag. "My dad's out on a mission… I'm not sure when he'll be back, but I am sooo sorry about your dilemma."

Minato sighed at the news and ignored Koharu's sarcasm. "Did you say you were looking for me?"

She nodded and tossed the blonde the bag. "Somehow my bag got switched at the bookstore, but I have no idea whose it is. I thought you might know who it belongs to. The only clue I have right now is that he is a major pervert."

He looked down at the bag, and began inspecting it. When he realized who it belonged to, he started to laugh.

"Oh, this is Kakashi Hatake's bag. I can see why you got it mixed up with his… Yours looks almost identical, and with the same initials too…"

"So you _know_ this pervert then?" Koharu asked, crossing her arms.

"Kakashi's not a pervert, Koharu." Minato smiled and tossed the bag back to her.

The kunoichi looked at the bag and scoffed, "If he's reading my dad's books he _has_ to be."

"Hey now, I'm reading your dad's books too, and I'm not a pervert, am I?"

Koharu smirked, "Debatable."

Minato frantically started moving his arms back and forth. "W-WAIT! DON'T SAY THAT! I'M A GOOD PERSON!"

"Hmmm… A good person would give the bag back to the owner and get mine back for me."

A large smile began to form on Minato's face, and Koharu started to worry. _That's his 'I have a mildly crazy idea' grin… I don't like this…_

"Nope! To ensure that I see you again tomorrow, you can come to the Host Club after school! Kakashi will be there with me, and you can exchange it then… Besides, I've asked you a thousand times to come see me there, but you never have."

Koharu thought about it and sighed, setting the bag down. "I guess I can stop by, but only for a few seconds! I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea…"

Minato continued smiling and draped his arm across Koharu's shoulder. "Please, Koharu, entertaining is what we _live_ for."

Koharu sighed. "I think you already _have_ the wrong idea, Minato."

* * *

A/N: We didn't realize our formatting would be so off when we published, and now we hate ourselves because we had to fix the italicization :/


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but we actually look kind of like Mio, Yui, and Ritsu from K-On! That's how we're going to refer to ourselves on here because no one knows we wrote this story except the three of us.

* * *

… _37, 38, 39, 40!_

Koharu sighed as she finished counting the tiles on her classroom ceiling.

 _And I thought yesterday was boring…_

She didn't have her school bag with her, so her mind was constantly floating from one thing to the next.

 _What should I count next?_

"Get out a piece of paper, class. We'll be taking notes today," her sensei's monotone voice interrupted her thoughts.

The annoyed kunoichi groaned. Having Kakashi's bag instead of her own had proved to be quite a challenge. The only things the mask-covered ninja had in his bag were some haphazardly placed weapons and another one of her dad's books.

 _I can't believe this guy doesn't have one thing that is actually functional for school…_

Koharu turned to the girl next to her. "Could I borrow a piece of paper and a pen? I seem to have… left my bag at home."

The girl next to her looked down at Kakashi's bag, and then back up at Koharu. Giving her a weird look, the girl turned back to the front of the room and started copying down notes.

Koharu closed her eyes, trying to fight off the ever so tempting thought of storming out of the classroom. The brunette crossed her arms and frowned.

 _This is all that annoying pervert's fault… All he's done is make my life more difficult than it already is!_

Slowly, time kept passing, but eventually, the bell rang. Koharu fumbled around before rising from her seat.

 _Can this day get any worse?_

Much to her dismay, Koharu remembered her talk with Minato the night before.

" _I guess I can stop by, but only for a few seconds!"_

The brunette groaned. She loved Minato, but she had never found any interest in visiting his club.

Letting out a deep breath, Koharu turned around and headed toward Room 222.

* * *

As Kakashi traveled from class to class, he constantly caught himself digging in his bag for _Icha Icha_. Every time he would reach his hand into "his" bag, he was met with an irritating disappointment. He remembered what Minato told him about some girl having his bag and sighed.

The masked ninja walked into class two minutes after the bell rang and sat down. As his sensei began lecturing, he groaned.

 _This is a joke… Am I actually supposed to pay attention?_

He tried to listen, but gave up and placed this girl's bag on his desk.

 _Let's see what we have here..._

When Kakashi opened the bag, for possibly the first time since he grabbed it yesterday at the bookstore, he became even more irritated.

 _Why is it so organized? It's just school…_

Kakashi scoffed and pulled out her book.

 _Ha! And she thinks what I read is bad. Even when we have to read things like this for school, no one actually does it. But… she reads it for fun?_

He rolled his eyes and tossed the book back in the bag. He went through this same motion for a few more minutes. Pulling something out and lazily tossing it back in the bag. Pulling something out, tossing it back in, pulling it out, tossing it in.

By the end of the toss and pull fest, the poor girl's bag looked more like his own than hers.

 _Ahh, the sweet sight of disorganization,_ Kakashi thought to himself.

The satisfied ninja smirked and set the bag down, pleased with his work.

When the bell rang dismissing him from his last class of the day, Kakashi grabbed the bag and left the room.

He threw the bag on his shoulder and headed toward the Host Club even moodier than he usually was. Being deprived of _Icha Icha_ the whole day angered him more than he thought it would.

 _If she touched my Icha Icha, I swear…_

* * *

Koharu knocked on the door to Room 222 and patiently waited for someone to answer. After a few seconds, she was greeted by a vivacious redhead with a bright smile.

"Koharu! What are you doing here? You never come to the Host Club," Kushina exclaimed.

 _I'm being blackmailed to come here by your lunatic boyfriend,_ she thought to herself.

Attempting to seem more friendly, Koharu put on a smile. "I told Minato I would come here to do something. Is he here?"

At that moment, the brunette looked over Kushina's shoulder and saw an energetic Minato running toward the door.

 _Here we go…_

"Koharu! I almost thought you wouldn't come!" Minato said excitedly, pulling her into a hug.

She sighed and hugged him back before pulling away. "Well, I wasn't too fond of the idea, but if I have to go one more second with this pervert's bag, I might scream."

Kushina looked between the two of them confused. "Pervert?"

Minato sighed. "She's referring to Kakashi."

Kushina nodded. "Sounds about right."

Minato opened his mouth to disagree, but Kushina looked over at him before he could. "What are you still doing here? Go find him and tell him his bag is here, ya know!"

Minato's eyes widened and he quickly ran off, leaving the two girls laughing at how scared he was of her.

 _I see nothing's changed between them…_ Koharu thought with a smile.

"Well, why don't you come inside and sit while Minato finds Kakashi?" Kushina offered.

Koharu walked inside after the redhead. She had known Kushina and Minato almost her entire life. Since her dad was always gone, they had become her second family.

Kushina and Minato met when they were very young and had been together for years. Koharu had always admired their relationship, and she appreciated the fact that they had always been around when she needed them.

Soon, Minato strolled happily over to the girls again, followed by a bored and rather irritated looking Kakashi.

"There she is! That's the girl whose bag you took," Minato said gesturing to Koharu.

Kakashi remembered the accusation she made at the bookstore and started to feel the blood drain from his face before becoming defensive.

"I wouldn't have taken the bag if-"

Before Kakashi could finish, Koharu stood up and slammed his bag into his chest.

"I believe _this_ belongs to you."

"Finally! I was ready to tear my hair out with the contents of this bag. Is this what you call entertainment?" Kakashi huffed as he held up her bag.

Koharu felt the heat rising to her face and snatched it out of his hand. "HA! You wouldn't know good literature if it came flying at you and hit you in the face."

Kakashi crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "I would rather have that happen than continue to suffer through reading what you had!"

Koharu scoffed. "How can you even criticize my taste in literature? You don't even read real novels! They're essentially the written equivalent to porn."

"You take that back! They're adult romances! I can't be blamed if your palette is not mature and refined enough for a literary masterpiece like _Icha Icha_."

"O-okay guys, just calm down. I'm sure you both have great tastes in literature!" Minato said nervously, trying to break up the argument.

Koharu exhaled and glared at Minato. "I told you I didn't want to come here, _Minato_."

At that moment, Koharu heard the sound of feet shuffling over in their direction. She looked over and saw a couple of guys she didn't recognize.

Minato turned his head in that direction. "Oh, hello everyone!"

"What is all the noise about?" asked a pale looking boy.

"Listening to all this arguing is such a drag…" said another boy with pointy hair in a ponytail.

Koharu narrowed her eyes at the group that had just arrived. She noticed that they were all fairly attractive looking guys, but was too infuriated with the situation to give it a second thought.

The brunette turned to face Minato, raising an eyebrow, and put her hands on her hips. "Who exactly are these people?"

Minato smiled and gestured his hand toward the pale looking boy. "This is Sai."

He continued to move down the line, pointing to a redhead named Gaara, a tall guy named Itachi who had his sharingan activated, and the pointy haired kid.

"The one on the end-" Minato began but was cut off.

"I'm Shikamaru, we have Weapons together."

Koharu nodded. "Yeah, I remember you. Although, I didn't think you knew I was in that class, always being asleep and all."

Shikamaru laughed. "It's all stuff I already know, anyways."

Kakashi, who had enough with this fiasco, turned and sat down on a couch, pulling out the _Icha Icha_ from his bag that he finally got back.

" _Again_ with the book, Kakashi?" Koharu shot him a look.

Kakashi ignored her and pushed his nose deeper in his book.

Minato sighed and turned back to Koharu. "Well, now that you _finally_ came to see me here… Do you have any questions?"

Koharu's head was racing. _Yeah! Like, what kind of club are you running here, Minato?! Somehow I feel like Jiraiya is partly to be blamed with his books..._

The kunoichi stared at her friend. "Uhh, is this an everyday thing?"

"YES! We entertain Monday through Friday, host special events on Saturday, and plan on Sunday! I'm really quite surprised I've never told you what we do… We're pretty popular," Minato finished with a wink.

Koharu raised an eyebrow. "I guess you're not as popular as you think you are, Minato."

Minato pouted, "That's not fair! We have guests in here constantly!"

Koharu looked around. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks pretty empty to me."

"That's because we haven't started yet, strange and critical girl," Sai added defensively.

Koharu looked over at Sai and then looked back at Minato.

Minato shrugged. "Don't worry, he's just like that. You'll get used to him… eventually."

As they were talking, Koharu realized that her other best friend, Manami, would probably _die_ of excitement if she found out about this club.

 _I should drop by and tell her about it…_ she thought to herself.

Koharu picked up her bag. "I think it's about time I leave. I have some things I need to do."

"You better have your bag this time. There is _no_ _way_ I'm going through that again," Kakashi remarked, not moving his gaze away from his book.

Koharu rolled her eyes at his comment, but didn't respond.

"Will you be coming back? It's kind of nice having new faces around here," Itachi said.

Koharu thought about this for a few seconds.

 _On one hand, I really don't want to deal with that pervert Kakashi again, but on the other, I have taken a liking to the rest of the guys! Plus I do miss talking to Minato and Kushina everyday…_

"Actually, I think I will."

Kakashi snapped his book shut and obnoxiously sighed at her answer. " _Fantastic._ "

Koharu shot a glare toward him and crossed her arms. "I'm not a fan of you either."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and nodded. "Glad we're on the same page then."

"Not in the same book though," the brunette muttered under her breath.

Koharu looked around the room again. "It was really nice meeting all of you! Well, _almost_ all of you," giving one final glance at Kakashi.

As she began walking toward the door she looked over her shoulder.

"I'll see you again tomorrow, Minato. Goodbye everyone!" she called out as she closed the door to Room 222 behind her.

* * *

A/N: I figured out the formatting so everything is okay :') - Mio


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: We still don't own Naruto. This fic has been written in 5 different states and 3 capital cities of 3 different countries. We've gone international! -All of us

* * *

Kakashi watched as Koharu closed the door behind her.

 _Finally she's gone. Now I can actually enjoy my book._

The masked ninja flipped his book open to the page he left off and continued reading. As he read, he could feel the eyes of his friends lingering on him.

Sighing, Kakashi finally acknowledged them. "Can I help you guys with something?"

The members of the host club all opened their mouths, questions flying out of them.

"So what was in her bag?" asked Sai.

"How did you guys meet again?" Itachi followed.

"Why are you being such a drag about her being here?" Shikamaru continued, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Kakashi, I told you to be nice before we came back over here," Minato groaned, thinking about how his friend completely ignored his request.

Itachi leaned forward as Kakashi looked up from his book, stunned into silence by the rush of inquiries flooding out of the group.

"Well?" Shikamaru egged on.

Ignoring the bombardment of questions, Kakashi stood up and made his way toward the door.

"Kakashi? Where are you going?" Gaara questioned.

The annoyed ninja opened the door and called out behind his shoulder, "Anywhere but here."

When Kakashi finally stepped outside, he sighed.

 _I just need to clear my head…_

As he walked out of the building, Kakashi reached up and loosened his tie from his uniform, running his fingers through his hair.

 _Can't this day just be over?_

Not knowing where else to go, Kakashi decided it was best to just head home. When he got there, he kicked off his shoes, jumped onto the couch, and reached for his bag.

 _Let's see the damage…_

Kakashi opened his bag to see that Koharu had taken the liberty of organizing it for him. The irritated ninja scowled, but pulled out _Icha Icha,_ hoping he would actually get in some decent reading time that day.

About 10 minutes into reading he snapped the book shut again.

 _Why can't I concentrate?_

For some reason Kakashi couldn't stop thinking about the events of the day. More importantly, he found that his thoughts kept taking him back to _that_ girl.

Koharu had done nothing but irritate Kakashi, but for some reason she lingered in his thoughts.

 _I can't believe how obnoxious she was… This whole ordeal was entirely her fault._

Frustrated, Kakashi got up and slipped his shoes back on.

 _There's only one place left I can try where I can concentrate._

* * *

When Kakashi arrived at the training grounds, he found that Minato was already there.

 _Perfect, maybe he can help._

Minato turned to greet him, "Kakashi! What are-"

Kakashi cut him off, not in the mood for formalities. "Tell me about her."

Minato laughed. "Koharu? Well, what do you want to know?"

Kakashi stared at Minato for a second and finally spat out, "I don't _know_ , just tell me about her."

Minato thought for a second, "Well… I've known her for quite some time now. Most of my life, actually. She really is a really nice girl once you get to know her."

Kakashi scoffed. _Sure she is…_

"How come you've never mentioned her before if you've known her for so long?" he asked his friend.

"She has kind of a rough past and is pretty isolated… Sort of like you," Minato eye smiled slightly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, encouraging Minato to further explain himself.

Sighing, Minato continued, "Her mother died when she was only a toddler. She wasn't old enough to even remember her. After she passed, her dad started leaving more often on missions… Now, he's hardly ever around. If I had to guess, she probably only sees him every few months, and even then it's only for a very short period of time."

"So you're saying she raised herself?" Kakashi asked.

Minato nodded. "Basically. Before she met Manami, one of her closest friends, Kushina, and me, she did everything herself. We all took turns checking in on her, although I don't know how helpful we were. She had pretty much lost the will to live…"

Minato looked up. "You know what that's like, Kakashi."

Kakashi's face started to become less tense as Minato's story went on.

 _By looking at her, I would have never guessed…_

The masked ninja looked past Minato, thinking about the similar hardships he had suffered through.

"Hold on… Why the sudden curiosity?" Minato asked, a smirk forming on his face.

Kakashi looked back at Minato, pulled out a kunai and began spinning it. "Care to spar?"

Minato furrowed his eyebrows at the topic change, but didn't question further. He pulled out some of his special kunai and threw them, landing them all in various places around the training ground.

"Ready to lose, Kakashi?"

Minato and Kakashi sparred pretty evenly, Minato having the upper hand occasionally. Both shinobi were breathing hard and smiling ear to ear, loving the rush of hand-to-hand combat.

"WAIT!" Minato suddenly exclaimed.

Kakashi stopped mid leap and grabbed on to the tree branch. He swung himself around and brought himself to a kneeling position.

"What's wrong, Minato?"

The blonde ninja frantically started gathering his things. "Sorry to stop so early, but I completely forgot about my date with Kushina this evening. She's going to kill me."

Kakashi chuckled. _Oh she most definitely will._

The tired ninja pulled out Minato's kunai that was lodged into the branch he was kneeling on, and tossed it back to him.

"Just blame your tardiness on me… Good luck."

"I'll see you later, Kakashi… If I'm not dead." Minato got up. "Oh, and about Koharu, I really think you should try to get to know her better. I have a feeling you two would get along well."

Before Kakashi could reply, Minato flashed out of the training grounds using his Flying Thunder God jutsu. The copy ninja kneeled on the branch for a few more seconds before jumping off. He began chuckling at the trouble his friend was in right now.

As Kakashi walked home, his mind wandered back to what Minato told him about Koharu.

 _I don't know, Minato. Maybe we're so alike we could never get along. Besides, her sassy remarks really get under my skin._

By the time he got home, Kakashi was exhausted. He immediately stripped off his sweaty clothes and changed into some sweatpants before getting into bed.

As he layed down, he found himself once again thinking about the inexplicable girl that had entered his life. Eventually he fell asleep, wondering what other secrets those bright green eyes held.

* * *

A/N: You guys should look up the names we came up with for the characters some time. We put hard work into them ;) -Mio


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. If you were curious, the 5 states were Texas, New Jersey, Missouri, New York, and Virginia, and the capital cities were Washington, D.C., Paris, and London. -All of us

* * *

After leaving the Host Club, Koharu felt irritated and stressed, all because of Kakashi.

 _I haven't felt this worked up since the entry exams…_

The only person she wanted to see right now was a certain blue-eyed girl.

Manami Utsumi had been Koharu's best friend since they were about six years old. When Koharu first began school, she often chose to sit by herself, but one day a little honey color-haired girl turned her world upside down.

Manami was the first person who chose to be around Koharu, always eager to strike up a conversation with her. At first Koharu didn't know how to respond to the friendliness, but eventually the two became inseparable.

Many of the girls' classmates questioned the validity of their friendship in the beginning; it was clear they were complete opposites in every way. However, when people would make comments about Koharu's cold and insensitive nature, Manami would shoot them down without fail. The blue-eyed girl always insisted that these comments were baseless because no one ever bothered to actually get to know Koharu.

Now, eleven years later, Koharu loved Manami like she was her own sister. The two shared everything with each other.

Koharu chuckled, thinking back on their friendship. _I have no idea what I would do without her._

After a little while longer, Koharu found herself on Manami's doorstep. Without even knocking, the green-eyed girl barged right into the house.

Manami turned her head when she heard the door. "Koharu! I've been wanting to see you!"

 _I'll never get tired of hearing that,_ the brunette thought.

Koharu closed the door and gave Manami a look over. A smile grew across her face.

"You're soaking wet, Manami!"

Koharu looked down at the floor. _Sand…? Really, Manami?_

"You could have at least _tried_ to not track sand into your house..." Koharu laughed.

Manami smiled, "Okay, okay, you caught me! I went to the beach."

Koharu playfully rolled her eyes and smirked, "Called in sick again today, then? Apparently there has been a virus going around… Sad to see you caught it, too."

"Ugh, Koharu, you _know_ I can't stay away from the beach. It's, like, my happy place."

Koharu put her hand on her hip. "How do you expect to become a good medic nin if you don't go to school? You really should take your studies more seriously!"

Manami sighed. "You know as well as I do that nothing they teach us at that school is helpful… Besides, I can life guard and help people at the beach, which is a _lot_ closer to helping people than sitting in school all day."

Koharu opened her mouth to argue, but paused.

 _Well, she's not wrong…_

"I guess you're right…" Koharu mumbled.

 _Wait! I'm not here to argue, I actually have something to tell her!_

Before Koharu lost her friend's attention, she spouted out, "Have you heard of the Host Club at our school?"

Manami took a seat and propped her head up on her hand. "No… but do tell. It sounds interesting."

Koharu took a seat next to Manami and smiled at the idea that she knew something social-related before Manami did.

"It's the club Minato started not too long ago… He put together a rag-tag group of five other guys, who are conveniently _extremely_ attractive, and spends time after school entertaining and well… shamelessly flirting with girls."

Manami raised her eyebrow, extremely interested. "Seriously? Shamelessly… Well, that would be fun to egg on."

Koharu leaned back against the couch and sighed, "Honestly, it might be kind of fun, except there's this annoying pervert of a guy who couldn't care less about anyone else's feelings."

Manami leaned forward. "Hmm… Sounds like you're speaking from experience. Anything you want to add about this 'pervert'?"

 _Oh boy, do I…_ Koharu thought.

She eyed Manami for a second and took a deep breath before continuing.

"I saw him at the bookstore looking through the _Icha Icha_ section _,_ and when I told him how disgusting his tastes were he grabbed my bag by accident and fled the store."

Manami giggled, earning a look from Koharu. The brunette playfully hit her friend on the shoulder before continuing.

"Actually, his thievery is the reason I went to the Host Club in the first place. Minato _insisted_ that I go there myself to exchange it."

"What was the guy's name again?" Manami asked.

"Kakashi."

Manami smiled widely and leaned in some more. "Well, maybe this _Kakashi_ just has a little crush on you," she winked.

Koharu blushed deeply and punched Manami's arm again, a little less playful this time. The blue-eyed girl was now rolling with laughter.

"Don't be ridiculous! There is no way he has a crush on me. We aren't kids anymore, we don't mock the people we like. And even if he did like me, there is _no way_ I would fall for such a lazy bum like him."

Manami finally calmed herself down and nodded along with Koharu. "Right…"

Koharu crossed her arms but relaxed a little. "Anyways, I think you would _love_ the Host Club. I told them I would go back tomorrow. You should come with me... That is, if this bug of yours magically clears up by tomorrow."

The honey-haired girl squealed and exclaimed, "You had me at 'attractive guys!'"

Manami rushed off to her bedroom, pulling out clothes and throwing them everywhere, trying to find the perfect outfit. Koharu sighed and stood up, heading for the door.

"Don't forget, the school _does_ still have a uniform policy."

" _Accessories_ , Koharu! Never forget about the accessories!" Manami yelled.

Koharu chuckled and closed the door behind her. As she was walking home, she began replaying her and Manami's conversation in her head.

 _Could he really have a crush on me?_ she asked herself.

The brunette shook her head and brushed the thought away.

 _It doesn't matter… I wouldn't care if the stupid pervert did anyways. The answer would undeniably be no._

When Koharu got home, she found that all of her thoughts roamed back to the idiotic masked man. As much as she hated it, she couldn't stop wondering what it was about the grey-haired guy that provoked her curiosity so much.

* * *

A/N: Manami was supposed to be a water ninja who summoned seals. Please don't ask. -All of us


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. We used Google Docs to co-write this story, and we created our own homemade chat box within the docs to communicate. One day our English teacher introduced us to the real Google Docs chat when we had to do a group project over a book. It changed our lives. -Mio

* * *

As the final bell rang, Koharu grabbed her bag and walked toward Manami's locker by Room 222. She got there before Manami did, but knew it would be awhile until she arrived.

Koharu sighed and leaned against the lockers, closing her eyes. After several minutes, she opened her eyes to the sound of a familiar voice.

"Sorry, Koharu! I got held up-"

"Socializing, I know. I'm used to this Manami, it's fine. Are you ready to have a little fun?"

"Why do you think I'm here today, Koharu?" Manami winked at her.

Koharu smiled and shook her head before knocking on the door.

When Kushina opened the door, the scene was completely different than what Koharu saw the day before. The Host Club were all dressed in extravagant outfits, and the room was filled with a massive amount of girls.

Koharu's eyes widened, taken aback by the sight.

"Welcome to the- ...Oh, it's just you, Koharu." Kushina turned to see the other face.

Manami smiled as her eyes took in the scene she was seeing and giggled at Kushina.

"What do you mean it's just me?!" Koharu choked out.

Completely ignoring Koharu, Kushina's smile grew. "Manami! I didn't know you were coming! Koharu didn't say anything, ya know!"

Manami smirked, "Well you know me, any place there's boys, I'm not far behind."

Koharu cleared her throat, "Speaking of boys… What's going on in here, Kushina?"

Manami nodded as she looked around the room. When her eyes caught on someone who had hair of the same color as Kushina's, she grinned.

"And following Koharu's question, what can you tell me about that redhead in the corner over there?"

Kushina laughed, "Well let's see… First off, why don't you come inside, and I'll tell you what a host club actually is."

The three girls walked inside the room, and Kushina continued her explanation.

"A host club is a place where girls go to get… entertained. It's basically a bunch of guys boosting girls' egos with flirting and compliments."

The redhead took a breath, "Okay, to help you guys understand who everyone is, I'll start with Minato."

Kushina held out a hand, gesturing over to her boyfriend. "Since Minato is the one who started the club, he's known as 'the leader' or 'the prince.' He basically runs things around here… or at least likes to think he does. As manager, I'm actually the one that does all the work. Anyways, Minato tends to be very… suave with his guests. If you like the energetic and outgoing type, he's who you would go to."

Koharu stopped Kushina before she continued. "Doesn't it get weird having your boyfriend flirt with other girls?"

Kushina pondered this for a moment. "Hmm… I suppose it would be odd for some people, but Minato and I both know it's just an act. He's very loyal, so I guess I never really worry about it, ya know?"

Manami and Koharu both nodded, finding Minato and Kushina's trust in each other very admirable.

Kushina continued, "That one over there with the pointy hair in a ponytail is Shikamaru. He comes from a wealthy family, so everyone likes to call him 'the rich boy.' However, he also has unmatchable strategic abilities so he is also known as 'the intelligent one.' Don't let his skills fool you though, he can be pretty lazy. He's more for the girls who prefer a thought-provoking challenge… or people who just want to chill."

The redhead looked to see if the girls were following along, and when she saw they were keeping up, she moved on.

"You see the excessively pale one in the corner? Well, that's Sai. He's known as the 'artist' of the group. However, we like to tease him and refer to him as the 'baby' of the group since he is the youngest. Sai is… Well… Sai has a lot of issues with politeness and efficient communication. He has no filter whatsoever. When he says something insensitive, he doesn't usually mean it the way it comes out. He normally gets requested by the artsy girls, or the girls who like the honesty behind his bluntness."

Koharu mumbled, "That explains a lot…"

Kushina laughed and continued on. "The guy next to Sai with the long black hair is Itachi. To put it simply, he's an Uchiha, so it's what you would expect. He has an outwardly dark demeanor, but once you talk to him, you quickly learn he is more like the sweet brotherly guy of the group. I don't think I really need to specify why girls are attracted to him…."

"Alright… who's left…" Kushina looked around the room, looking for who to introduce next. She spotted Gaara sitting down at a table.

"Ah, yes! Now, Manami, the redhead you pointed out earlier's name is Gaara. He's the shy one of the group, but by far the most caring. He's hard to get to know at first, but completely worth it. He's actually really funny and outgoing when he's with the guys… but, since none of the girls see that side of him, most here request him because they find his shyness adorable."

Manami smirked. "Good, I like a challenge."

Kushina glanced over to a couch, where a certain masked ninja was sitting.

"And lastly, we have Kakashi."

Koharu groaned at his name.

The redhead smiled but kept explaining. "Kakashi is actually one of the more frequently requested guys. He's pretty popular, ya know."

Koharu crossed her arms and mumbled, "I don't see why. His unyielding snarkiness is obnoxious."

"Koharu, can you just let her finish?" Manami rolled her eyes.

Kushina smiled. "Many of the girls find his mysterious quality very appealing. It makes them want to get to know him better. He may come off as sarcastic and rude, but if you get to know him you would see that he would protect the people he cares about with his life. Plus, there's the age old question of 'what's behind his mask?' Most girls come here everyday in hopes that maybe they'll be the lucky one that gets a peek. I mean… I've never seen it and I've known Kakashi for a pretty long time…"

Koharu smirked. "I'm willing to put money on him having abnormally large lips."

Manami turned to Koharu and gasped sarcastically, "Betting is one of the three taboos of shinobi, Koharu!"

Koharu chuckled and said, "Well, so are women, but we're at a Host Club."

Kushina laughed at the banter. "Anyways, that's all of the members of the Host Club… What do you think? Do you have a favorite yet?"

Manami grabbed onto Kushina's shoulders with wide eyes. "Kushina, listen closely. This is very important… I don't have to pick just one boy, right?"

Kushina chuckled again at the blue-eyed girl's enthusiasm. "No, no. You can request any boy you want to, and they will spend the day entertaining you. It really can be quite an experience once you get involved."

Koharu rolled her eyes at Manami and looked around the room again. She noticed several girls clinging to Kakashi.

 _They really shouldn't be clinging to such a pervert. Maybe I should warn them..._

"KUSHINAAA," Minato's cry echoed throughout the entire room.

Kushina smiled at the two girls. "I'll be right back…"

The fiery redhead walked away yelling, "WHAT DO YOU WANT, MINATO?"

As soon as Kushina left, Manami grabbed Koharu's wrist and dragged her in the direction of Kakashi.

"Manami! What are you doing?" Koharu tried digging her heels into the ground but her efforts were pointless.

The honey-haired girl looked back at Koharu and grinned evilly. "I'm testing out a little theory of mine."

Manami stopped a couple feet away from Kakashi and let go of Koharu. The brunette rubbed her wrist and complained.

"You didn't have to grab me so tightly!"

Manami murmured an apology and then cleared her throat, grabbing Kakashi's attention. Kakashi looked up and scanned the room before stopping on the two girls a couple feet away.

 _Did she really decide to come back here?_ Kakashi thought as he stared blatantly at Koharu.

Manami, noticing Kakashi's gaze, started to laugh maniacally. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," she said between breaths.

Koharu whipped her head toward Manami. " _What_ did you just call us? Manami! You can't just walk away like that!"

Ignoring her friend, the amused girl, who was still laughing, continued to scurry off and decided to look for the redhead she saw earlier.

* * *

As he walked out of the kitchen, Minato heard a laugh he hadn't heard in awhile and turned around.

 _Was that Manami?_

When he stepped into the room, the blonde saw a honey-haired girl rushing away from a very pissed off looking Koharu.

He grinned. _Yup, that's Manami._

Minato's smile vanished, however, when he saw Kakashi's uncomfortable stance. The grey-haired man and the blonde made eye contact, and Kakashi gestured him over with a nod of his head.

"Why is she here again, _Minato_?"

Minato sighed. "Well, maybe she came because I invited her back yesterday," he said, voice laced with sarcasm.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Well I didn't think she would actually come back. You know how irritating she is to me, and she's messing up _my game_."

Minato crossed his arms. "Kakashi! I thought after our talk yesterday you would try to be a little nicer."

* * *

"You know how irritating she is to me," Kakashi spat out.

The two friends continued their conversation, neither realizing that Koharu could hear every word.

 _Right back at you, buddy,_ she thought to herself.

Koharu rolled her eyes, and deciding she had enough, walked away. She looked around the room briefly and decided to head over to Shikamaru, since he was the only one besides Minato she vaguely knew.

As she walked toward him, she heard him mutter.

"What a drag… Another troublesome woman."

Koharu, who was already fuming, snapped back, "Maybe that's why your request rate is so low."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Nah, I'm just too lazy."

Koharu opened her mouth to retort, but Shikamaru cut her off.

"I saw you struggling in Weapons the other day when you didn't have your bag. The only thing more disastrous than learning the same lesson a hundred times over is the state of Kakashi's bag."

Koharu chuckled and smirked, "Shikamaru, I don't think you can even grasp what a fiasco Kakashi's bag was."

Shikamaru laughed and Koharu sat herself on the couch. The brunette picked up a Shogi piece and raised an eyebrow.

"Wanna play?" she asked.

Shikamaru smiled. "Troublesome ladies first."

The two began a game of Shogi, continuing to talk and laugh about the events that played out yesterday.

* * *

A/N: HI GUYS NEW AUTHOR HERE! Can't let Mio have all the fun writing author's notes! (It's not my fault no one was up here. -Mio) We stayed up until like 5 AM writing parts of this fic, but it was totally worth it. -Yui


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. In one of our classes, our teacher would type really loud while we took tests. It sounded like he was mad at the keyboard. It was pretty funny. -All of us

* * *

After Manami left Koharu with Kakashi, she decided to make her way over to the mysterious redhead that caught her eye earlier.

 _I think I saw him sitting on the couch…_

Manami spotted the redhead and slowly walked over.

 _Gaara, wasn't it?_

As she got closer, she noticed that a group of girls seemed to be engaged in deep conversation with him.

 _Dang, I have to get past all these girls if I want to get to Gaara._

Manami rolled her shoulders back and began to worm her way through the group.

"HEY! Who do you think- Oh, Manami! Hi! How are you?"

"Excuse you! What the- Manami? What are you doing?"

Manami turned around and put on an apologetic smile. "Ehh, sorry guys! I didn't mean to shove!"

The honey-haired girl looked back at Gaara and tossed her hair behind her shoulder. With a glimmer in her bright blue eyes and a wide smile growing across her face, she greeted him.

"Hello! I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves yet!"

Gaara stared at her for a second before clearing his throat. "You're right, let's sit."

 _W-Who… Who is she…? And that smile… It's so… so…_ Gaara was completely dumbfounded by the girl in front of him.

Manami sat down across from Gaara, but instead of sparking up a conversation like she usually would, she remained silent, quietly observing the redhead's actions.

 _He's definitely different from the others…_

Still a little surprised, Gaara stared at Manami for a couple more seconds.

"So… Manami, is it?" the sand shinobi asked.

Manami smiled and nodded. "Manami Utsumi…"

Gaara shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. He tried to prompt her a little further.

"Is this your first time here?"

 _He's so cute when he's nervous!_ Manami squealed to herself before replying.

"Is it that easy to tell?"

"No, I just think I'd remember if someone like you stopped by before," Gaara said with a small grin.

Manami laughed. "There's that host club charm I've heard so much about."

Hearing Manami's laugh made Gaara relax a little.

 _I was beginning to think she was afraid of me, like some of the others…._

Manami crossed her legs and leaned forward, lowering her voice. "I've heard a lot about the host club today, but I haven't really seen much of it. I really would love to see more."

Gaara stood up and extended his hand out toward Manami. "Well then, let me give you the official tour."

"I'd love that!" she exclaimed.

In an excited blur, Manami grabbed Gaara's hand and tried to get up, but rose too quickly out of her chair. Black dots floated across her eyes from the sudden movement. The stunned kunoichi let out a gasp, reaching for something to balance her.

Before she could waver any longer, someone's firm grip wrapped around her waist, steadying her and pulling her close.

"Are you okay?"

Manami looked up, her eyes meeting with Gaara's sea foam green ones.

 _How long has he had those dark circles under his eyes?_ she wondered.

"Yeah, thanks… I just stood up too fast." Manami began to push herself off of Gaara, no longer needing the help.

Before Manami could release herself from the redhead's hold, a voice asked, "Hey, Gaara, do you need anymore tea?"

Itachi turned around, tea tray in hand, and bumped right into Gaara's back. In one swift action, Gaara was pushed forward, and his lips crashed onto Manami's.

Both Manami and Gaara's eyes grew wide as they pulled back.

 _Did that just_ …? Manami questioned.

 _I can't believe I just…_ Gaara internally groaned.

"Oh my… Sorry, Gaara. I didn't know you were so close! Okay… Well… You look a little busy… I'll just leave this here…" Itachi chuckled lightly, slowly backing away, leaving the tray behind at the crime scene.

Manami and Gaara couldn't have locked lips for more than a few seconds, but to both it felt like an eternity before they separated from each other.

Manami smirked, "Well, I definitely feel welcomed now, _Gaara_."

Gaara opened his mouth before closing it again, his face turning the same shade as his hair.

"I-I didn't even-" Gaara struggled to get his thoughts out coherently.

Manami giggled at his reaction and cut him off. She leaned in and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll _definitely_ be coming back."

As the blue-eyed girl turned around, she sent Gaara a playful wink and watched him turn even more red, if possible. Manami giggled again to herself, putting her hand over her lips.

 _When you said I'd like the host club, Koharu, you weren't kidding._

Gaara stood there wide-eyed and gaped as the girl he met just ten minutes ago walked off with his first kiss.

 _Manami Utsumi, huh? I like this girl, Gaara…_ he heard his inner demon Shukaku say.

"For once, we might actually agree on something…" Gaara muttered softly.

Manami looked around to see Koharu losing terribly in a game of Shogi and saw the amusement on her opponent's face _._

 _Maybe I'll go save her some embarrassment,_ Manami thought as she headed over to the two.

 _Plus,_ Manami smirked, _I have_ a lot _to tell her._

* * *

A/N: We all have a favorite redhead. Some like Gaara, some like Kushina, but my favorite is Yui. -Ritsu (Get a room. -Mio)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Sometimes we were so desperate to fit in writing time we would write in class during the school year. We promise we are good students though. -Mio

* * *

Manami may not have noticed, but Koharu definitely saw everything that just unfolded between her and Gaara. The brunette rolled her eyes, but couldn't help laughing a little.

 _Of course she would accidentally kiss a guy within ten minutes of meeting him._

Shikamaru looked up at the sound of Koharu laughing. "What's so funny?"

The smiling kunoichi saw Manami approaching Shikamaru and herself.

"I have a feeling you're about to hear about it."

Manami arrived with a smug look on her face and stood in front of the pair playing shogi.

"You will _not_ believe what just happened!"

"Oh _trust me_ , I will. I saw it with my own two eyes."

Shikamaru moved a shogi piece while the two girls began talking. "So… is someone going to tell _me_ what happened?"

Manami sat down next to Koharu and looked at the board, moving a piece for her.

"Hey, don't move my pieces, Manami!"

"Trust me, I'm helping you." The blue-eyed girl leaned back against the couch and looked up at Shikamaru.

"That's true… it was a pretty good move. Better than any of yours, Koharu."

Before Koharu could respond, Manami smiled. "Shikamaru, right? Well, I had an interesting meeting with your friend Gaara."

"Did you actually talk, or did you go straight to making out?" Koharu snided.

Shikamaru's eyes widened and a smile of disbelief grew across his face. "Wait! You kissed Gaara?"

"Hey, it was an accident! I tripped and someone ran into him… Not that I minded or anything," Manami said with a smirk.

"Well, I'm glad _you're_ having a good time… That makes one of us."

Shikamaru turned and gave Koharu an offended look. "What do you mean you aren't having a good time? Troublesome woman."

"Well it's not your company I've disliked. It's being crushed in shogi… It's definitely ' _a drag._ '"

Shikamaru chuckled and Manami smirked.

"Yeah I bet sucking is pretty ' _troublesome_ ,'" the blue-eyed ninja added.

Manami snorted at her own joke, causing the other two to burst out laughing.

* * *

"Can you _believe_ how Jiraiya ended the last book?"

"Minato, if you bring up the end of book three one more time I will kill you! You know I've been avoiding the last chapter."

"Please just read it. I _need_ to talk to someone about it. For all that is good in this world, just do it Kakashi!"

 _Always so dramatic…_ Kakashi chided to himself.

"Okay, okay, I'll read it later!" the grey-haired ninja replied.

Minato opened his mouth and started to say something before he was interrupted by a roar of laughter. Kakashi and Minato's eyes darted toward the loud noise and Minato smiled.

"Good to see Koharu having such a fun time!" the blonde noted.

Kakashi rolled his eyes but continued to stare at the group.

 _Yeah, Minato… Always so exciting to hear her annoying laugh…_

Minato turned back to Kakashi and resumed their conversation. However, Kakashi was much more interested in the three people sitting on the couch laughing. Minato was so preoccupied with discussing the book that he didn't seem to notice Kakashi's disinterest.

 _Can't Minato tell I'm not listening to him?_

* * *

In the midst of their laughter, Koharu turned around to try to calm herself down.

 _Maybe I can skip my training today… My abs are killing me from all this laughter._

Koharu closed her eyes and inhaled, a smile still tugging on her face. When she opened them, her eyes met Kakashi's mismatched ones.

 _Why is he staring at me... Pervert._

Koharu's eyes slightly narrowed, and her smile completely dropped. Kakashi rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath before storming out, leaving Minato talking to himself.

After watching Kakashi leave, Koharu turned to look at Minato, who was completely unfazed by his departure.

 _Does he really not notice Kakashi is gone…? He's talking to himself._

Koharu sighed and turned back to Shikamaru.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Shikamaru glanced up at Koharu and nodded before focusing back on the board. "Hmm?"

"Is Kakashi always such a jerk, or is it just me?"

Shikamaru looked up from the game, sat his piece down, and gave Koharu his attention.

"You know, you really should give him a break. He hasn't had the greatest life so he may seem standoff-ish, but he really is a great guy when you get to know him better."

Koharu looked down at the board and narrowed her eyes before looking back up at him. "And how exactly has he not had the 'greatest life?' Even so, that's no excuse for how he acts."

Shikamaru could tell he said something that struck home to Koharu, but he simply shook his head and dismissed the matter.

"Just cut him some slack next time."

Koharu scoffed and crossed her arms, even more annoyed than when this conversation began. "Well we all have our issues."

Manami cleared her throat and glanced over at Koharu nervously.

"I think it's time for us to go… It was really nice meeting you, Shikamaru. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

Koharu glanced at Manami, and then looked back at the shogi game. "Yeah… We should probably go before I officially lose this game… again."

Shikamaru chuckled as the two girls stood up. "Well, feel free to request me anytime."

Both girls looked at him amused, and Shikamaru shook his head. "I have to at least sound like I'm doing my job. Minato can hear everything somehow."

 _Speaking of Minato…_ Koharu thought as she turned around.

 _There he is! Oh great, he's still talking to himself…_

"I'll meet you in a second, Manami. I have to go do something real quick."

Koharu walked over to the corner Kakashi and Minato were standing at and tapped on Minato's shoulder.

"You _do_ realize Kakashi left, right?"

Minato looked between Koharu and where Kakashi once stood. He began to pout when he realized he had been talking to himself.

"How long has he been gone?"

Koharu chuckled, "A while..."

As Koharu turned away from Minato, his pout became more apparent. Koharu sighed and glanced over at Kushina, who walked over to them and patted Minato on the back.

"Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me, Kushina?"

Kushina quietly shushed him, "It's okay, you can only do so much before people get tired of you."

Koharu slightly smiled and started to walk toward Manami.

"See you guys later," she said to them.

As the pair walked toward the door, Manami turned to find Gaara and caught his eye. When Gaara looked up, Manami gave him a quick wink, causing him to choke on the tea he just took a sip of.

The honey-haired girl turned back around toward Koharu with a huge smirk on her face.

"You're so cruel, Manami! He's probably just as red as his hair right now!"

Manami grinned. "Oh, I _know_ he is."

* * *

A/N: I love Minato talking to himself. He's soooo cute. -Mio


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but we do own Kowra. Who's Kowra? That's how I pronounced Koharu when we first came up with her name… not my proudest moment. -Ritsu

* * *

Weeks had passed, and Koharu and Manami continued to make frequent visits to the host club after school. Manami still teased Gaara about their first encounter, and Koharu and Kakashi tried to avoid each other at all costs.

Both girls, however, began to interact with the other boys more and got to know each of them better. After Manami begged him for days, Sai finally gave in to her request to teach her how to draw.

As the two began to work, Sai picked up a paintbrush and looked over at Manami. "If I teach you to draw, my book says you will stop being as annoying. I say it's worth a shot."

Shortly after Sai's decision, the two figured out that the combination of Sai's lack of patience and Manami's inability to concentrate was a lethal one.

"Since your painting skills are only sub par, and you haven't improved over the past couple of days, I'm just going to draw you instead. Please remain still, and don't squeak so I can focus."

Manami whipped her head toward him. "I don't squeak! What does that even mean?"

"Did I say squeak? Sorry, I meant talk."

Itachi watched the two interact before returning to Koharu. "I knew that wasn't going to end well."

The brunette nodded. "Well things don't genuinely end well for Manami if she isn't the one in charge."

In addition to seeing Shikamaru, Koharu had also been spending more time with Itachi during their visits, and they had become good friends. Itachi appreciated Koharu's sense of humor, and Koharu liked to have someone as sweet as Itachi to listen to her.

"So has Jiraiya come back yet?" the Uchiha asked the green-eyed girl.

"No, he's still gone… He'll probably be gone for a while. Minato's been keeping me company though. Even Kushina has been tagging along with him. Honestly, it's been a little too much company for me." Koharu laughed lightly and smiled at Itachi.

 _Plus, if Minato cooks dinner for me one more time, I might have to start buying bigger clothes…_

As Itachi and Koharu talked, Shikamaru walked over, carrying the shogi board with him.

 _Oh no…_ Koharu thought.

As much as she had been playing Shikamaru, she still hadn't gotten any better at the game, even though she would like to think she had. Still, she continued to embarrass herself by accepting his challenges.

He sat the board down and moved his first piece. Shikamaru looked up at Koharu with a raised eyebrow, waiting to see if she would play.

Koharu rolled her eyes and made sure her voice was laced with sarcasm, "Sure, I'll play you, Shikamaru. Thanks for asking."

Shikamaru smiled. "Try to make it more interesting this time, Koharu."

"SAI! MY LIPS ARE NOT THAT BIG, AND THE HAIR IS ALL WRONG!" Manami squeaked out.

"Maybe I would get the lip size right if you stopped moving them," Sai said, upset she criticized his piece.

Manami stood up and began to make her way toward Sai. "THAT'S IT, YOU'RE DONE FOR MISTER."

Sai sat his brush down gently, then hopped up and looked toward Itachi for help. "This is what I would call squeaking, Manami."

Itachi sighed and got up. "Excuse me while I make sure Manami doesn't kill Sai."

Koharu glanced over at her friend, who was now being held back by Gaara while Sai made his getaway.

 _Poor Sai…_ she thought to herself.

Kushina looked over at Minato, who nodded and put an arm around her. "I know what you're thinking… but it looks like they have it under control."

Kushina sighed and closed her eyes. "They better. If I have to get involved it will not bode well for them, ya know."

Minato laughed and pulled Kushina in closer before focusing on something over her head. He frowned.

"What's wrong, Minato?" Kushina asked, looking up at him.

"Ehh… It's just… Kakashi's been skipping out on a couple club meetings, and whenever he is here, all he does is read."

Kushina looked over at Kakashi who was, like Minato said, reading. She sighed and looked back at Minato. "Do you know why? It's not because of Koharu, is it?"

Minato thought for a second and shook his head, "Who knows… I can hardly even tell what he's thinking half the time."

As a silence rose between Minato and Kushina, Itachi came over and sat down next to the blonde. Sai followed, squeezing his way in between Minato and Itachi, forcing Kushina off of the couch.

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT, SAI? I was sitting there, ya know!" Kushina exclaimed.

Itachi glared at Sai and shoved him away from him. "Sai, you can't just force yourself where there's no space!"

"But Manami still looks angry, and I needed to blend in!"

Koharu, Manami, and the rest of the group walked over to the sitting area when they heard all of the commotion. Everyone found a place to sit and there was a short period of silence.

Shikamaru turned toward Koharu. "The game isn't over. I still haven't officially won."

Koharu crossed her arms. "That's right, you haven't won yet. Don't be so cocky!"

The group began to chat amongst themselves, enjoying being together.

After a while Itachi asked the group, "Have you guys heard about the sparring tournament they are holding next week?"

"No, what's happening?" Koharu asked.

"It's going to be a competition between grade levels. People in the same year can enter the tournament and fight each other, but the matches are picked at random."

Minato clapped his hands together and stood up. "Oh! I have a great idea!"

Koharu shook her head. _Oh great, another infamous Minato idea._

Everyone looked up at the blonde, and he smiled and continued.

"As president of the host club, it is my duty to make sure we actively participate in activities, even outside of entertaining. Which is why I make an official decree that all of the members will sign up for the tournament! Doesn't that sound like fun guys?!"

 _Official decree? This is a high school club, he's not the Hokage or anything…_ Kakashi thought as he looked up from his book.

"But Minato, there's no one in my grade that can match my skills… It won't be any fun," Sai whined.

Itachi reached over and tapped Sai's forehead, causing him to fall backward in his seat.

"Don't be so cocky, Sai. It will be a good test of your strength."

Everyone began chatting again, talking about how much of a hassle this tournament would be. Throughout this entire conversation, Kakashi kept his nose buried in _Icha Icha._

Koharu glanced over at the masked ninja. _Ugh, look at him. He hasn't even lifted his head from my dad's stupid book. How annoying._

The brunette glared at Kakashi for a couple more seconds before clearing her throat.

"You're a third year, right, Kakashi?"

Everyone quieted down, surprised that Koharu actually addressed Kakashi.

"Mmm, that's right," Kakashi grumbled, not moving his attention away from his book.

" _Perfect_."

Motivated by his answer, Koharu abruptly stood up, grabbing Manami by the wrist.

"Come on, Manami, let's go sign up for this thing."

"Woah woah _woah_ , I didn't say I wanted to participate! Why are you dragging me into this?!" Manami exclaimed.

Koharu mumbled something under her breath and pulled Manami to the sign up sheet next to the door. The determined kunoichi grabbed the pen and wrote her name in the third year spot.

"You sure you don't want to do this, Manami?"

"I'm positive… I'd rather heal you after the fight than take you down during it," Manami finished with a wink.

Koharu lowered her voice. "Well then, you can just help me train so I can make sure I put that jerk in his place."

Manami smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll make sure there's no way you can lose!"

Koharu looked back in the room. "Hey, I'll sign you guys up while I'm over here."

As she finished writing everyone's name down, she looked at the last name on the list.

 _Kakashi Hatake… You better hope we aren't paired against each other._

* * *

A/N: Sai's lines were always my favorite to write. I love the sass. I feel the sass. -Ritsu


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto I would draw Gaara with eyebrows. But I don't. So Gaara will continue to have a weak eyebrow game. -Yui

* * *

 _Why are there so many people here?_

Koharu looked around the arena and sighed. It was the day of the tournament, and the school was as busy as ever. Not only was the entire school watching, but several villagers and high-ranking ninja had come as well.

 _Why haven't I been called yet? All of this waiting is making me anxious…_

Koharu rocked back and forth on her feet before spotting Manami chatting with Gaara. She walked up to them, hearing the last part of their conversation.

"Good luck out there, Gaara! Promise me you won't get too hurt."

"I'll try, but I can't say the same about the other guy."

The two smiled at each other before Gaara walked off.

 _I wonder what's going on there… I'll ask Manami later._

"Hey Manami! How much longer do you think I'll have to wait? I just want to go before I get tired… Plus, I _really_ want to see who I'm going up against."

Manami smiled at Koharu and looked down at one of the arenas. "Well, it looks like Itachi is finishing his battle up, and Gaara just started his in the other arena!"

Koharu looked over at Itachi and then toward Gaara. _That'll be me soon… hopefully._

The two started walking around the arena. A few steps later, Manami stopped, turning toward Koharu.

"Wait, did you just say you don't know who you're matched up against?"

 _Well duh… I haven't been called, of course I don't know!_

"Yes, they haven't called my name yet… Were you even listening?"

Manami's face formed a smile, and she bursted out in laughter.

"Koharu… you know there's a matchup list right?" Manami said while clutching her stomach.

The brunette's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean? They didn't tell us there was a list!"

Manami calmed herself down and took a deep breath.

"Did you not notice how many people showed up to watch? You do realize people came because they wanted to see your match, right?"

"What are you talking about? Who am I paired against?"

Manami pointed over Koharu's shoulder. "Why don't you turn around and look?"

Koharu's jaw dropped when she saw the two names on the screen. She had no idea she had been pitted against Kakashi, and now she had no time to prepare because her match was next.

"You better get going… These people didn't come to see you standing here with your mouth wide open! They came to see the fight between one of the Legendary Sannin's daughter, and Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan," Manami urged.

Koharu nodded as she scanned the crowd, finally spotting Kakashi reading his book.

 _Always with that damn book…_

A determined look spread across Koharu's face. "Well then, I'll make sure to give them the show they came for."

The kunoichi rolled her shoulders back and focused her attention back to one of the arenas. Itachi stood in the rink dusting off his shoulders without a scratch on him. Itachi's opponent, however, was not so lucky. Koharu looked at the figure lying on the ground next to him and shook her head.

 _I am so glad I'm not a fourth year… I couldn't imagine going up against Itachi…_

Koharu made her way down to the arena after the proctor declared Itachi the winner. When she arrived, she noticed Itachi's enemy was heavily coughing and being helped up by the school's medic ninjas.

The brunette chuckled and put her hand on Itachi's shoulder. "I don't know why I'm surprised you didn't hold back, but somehow I expected nothing less of you."

Itachi deactivated his sharingan and looked over at Koharu, dead panned. "I did hold back on him."

Koharu's eyes widened and she took her hand off of his shoulder. "Itachi, remind me never to upset you. Anyways, I suggest you go back upstairs and watch my match, it's about to get interesting."

Itachi looked up at the board and then back at Koharu. "You do realize Kakashi is one of the best ninjas in the school. Well, behind Minato and me, of course. Some people would even call him a prodigy. I'm surprised you're as relaxed as you are."

Koharu inhaled sharply and felt her heart start to pound.

 _Why am I just now hearing this?_

Suddenly, the kunoichi felt a voice whisper into her ear.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," the copy ninja taunted.

Koharu felt chills creep up her spine, and she jumped back.

As she turned around, the announcer's voice boomed, " _Kakashi Hatake vs. Koharu Hachidori!"_

The crowd went silent as they heard the match they had all been waiting for announced.

The brunette walked toward Kakashi and narrowed her eyes. "If you intend on winning, which isn't likely, you should give it your all. I want to see that precious sharingan of yours in action."

Koharu then stopped herself right in front of Kakashi, and leaned in.

" _Kakashi the Copy Ninja,_ " she whispered.

The grey-haired ninja flinched ever so slightly at the intensity in her voice. She smirked when she got the reaction she wanted out of him.

"Oh, and try not to pass out from chakra exhaustion," Koharu quipped.

Kakashi scoffed and leaned in as well.

"Well try not to fly away from your fear of failure, _Bird of Konoha_ ," he hissed back.

Neither party broke eye contact, letting their dislike for each other stew. Then, both Kakashi and Koharu turned on their heels and stormed to opposite sides of the arena.

The proctor looked between the two, noticing the tension between them. "I want a nice, clean match. The only rule is to not kill the other. BEGIN!" The proctor leaped back, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

The crowd went quiet again, before a cheer broke the silence.

"YOU'VE GOT THIS, KOHARU! YAY KOHARU!"

Kakashi smirked at Manami's outburst. _That's optimistic, even for her._

Koharu looked over at the audience and then back at Kakashi's smug face.

 _Damn it Manami, out of all the times… I'll have to talk to her later._

The pair stared at each other for a few seconds, assessing the other's weaknesses.

Koharu reached for her pouch. _Looks like I'm starting it then. Here we go…_

The kunoichi pulled out a handful of shuriken, and sent them flying toward Kakashi with an immense force. Kakashi leaped away, taken aback by the intensity of the attack.

 _Damn, those were fast._

He pretended to dust himself off and looked at Koharu with big eyes. "Well that wasn't very nice of you, Koharu. Those could have hurt me."

Koharu smirked. "That's the point, isn't it?"

Not giving her another opportunity to attack, Kakashi charged toward Koharu and began to engage her in a taijutsu battle. Koharu managed to avoid Kakashi's kicks and punches, but wasn't able to throw any of her own.

 _I have to stop playing so defensively if I want to win!_

As Kakashi threw one last punch, Koharu blocked it with her arms.

"This is getting nowhere. What about something different, Kakashi?"

They both leapt back, and the copy ninja pulled up his forehead protector.

"Well, you wanted to see my Sharingan, but let's see if you can handle it."

The green-eyed girl smiled as a thought crossed her mind. "I'm honored… Want to see if you can copy this then?"

Koharu began to move rapidly through handsigns, and Kakashi copied her movements. When Koharu finished the jutsu, several shurikens made completely of ice shot toward Kakashi, causing his eyes to widen as he realized he wouldn't be able to copy this jutsu.

Kakashi groaned. _Crap, crap, crap, CRAP!_

"Ice Style: Ice Shuriken!" Koharu shouted as she watched the masked ninja's reaction.

Kakashi quickly used a substitution jutsu to avoid the attack.

 _If I thought her speed was impressive before… There's no way I could dodge those without a substitution._

"So you're the only shinobi who can use ice in Konoha. I've heard rumors, but frankly, I'm a little surprised it's you, Koharu."

Kakashi chuckled before continuing, "Well aren't you lucky I can't copy it then."

 _Luck has nothing to do with this_ , Koharu thought as she gritted her teeth.

Without responding to him, Koharu fired another round of ice shuriken toward Kakashi. Anticipating this attack, Kakashi was able to rapidly roll out of the way, but not before one of the shuriken caught his arm.

Kakashi moaned and put his hand over the injury before looking at it.

 _It's not as deep as it feels… I can't imagine actually getting the full impact of one of those._

Koharu watched as Kakashi's face shifted. His eyes slightly narrowed and his face darkened before she heard him growl, "My turn."

Kakashi tossed a smoke bomb on the ground, temporarily blinding Koharu. When it finally cleared up, she noticed that Kakashi had disappeared.

Koharu's eyes widened and she began to look around.

 _Left… Right… Behind… Above… Where the hell is he?_

"Earth Style: Head-Hunter Jutsu!"

All of a sudden, Koharu felt Kakashi's hands wrap around her ankles, causing her eyes to widen. She groaned and tore a kunai out of her pouch.

 _Down…_ she groaned. _I always forget to look down._

Koharu began blindly slashing the kunai around, desperate to get loose from Kakashi's grip. Kakashi felt Koharu flailing under his grip and pushed her ankles away as he heard the sound of metal hitting his glove.

 _If I didn't have my gloves on she would have sliced my hand open. I need to be more careful…_

Koharu fell forward and got up just in time to lift her own kunai up to block his. The sound of metal clanging together echoed throughout the arena.

 _He's so fast… Itachi was right, I need to focus._

The shinobi came to a stand still. Both tried to overpower the other, pushing their kunais against each other.

Koharu began to slide backwards, and she quickly realized she was going to lose in a battle of strength.

 _This isn't going to end well for me… Ugh, Kakashi knows it, too. I can see it on his face._

Koharu jumped back and yelled out, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu," creating a massive water dragon.

Kakashi quickly collected himself and countered, "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

 _Damn it…_ both Kakashi and Koharu groaned, _this has gone on far too long._

The two continued to go back and forth for a bit. Koharu bit her finger, drawing blood.

 _I didn't want to have to do this…_

"Summoning Jutsu!"

The crowd gasped as a giant brown and white bird appeared on the arena floor.

"Alright Sora, I need you to distract Kakashi while I work up my chakra for a bit."

Kakashi's eyes widened and he cursed under his breath.

 _What the heck is wrong with this girl?_

The copy ninja quickly summoned his ninken. "Can you guys cover me? I'm not sure what Koharu is up to but I need to get to her… _now_."

Koharu began to pant, her hands shaking from all the chakra that was drained.

 _I only have enough for one more move…_

Kakashi desperately tried to get past Sora, who was using her massive wings to protect Koharu.

 _Is this damn bird really not going to let me by?_

Koharu heard Kakashi fighting his way through her defense and knew what she had to do.

 _It's not ready yet… but what other choice do I have?_

Koharu weaved a quick hand sign, dismissing Sora. The absence of her giant bird threw Kakashi off, causing him to stumble.

 _What the…?_

Koharu sprinted toward Kakashi while running through hand signs, sucked in a big breath and yelled, "Wind Style: Freezing Wind," and exhaled.

A sharp, biting wind hit Kakashi, and he raised his arms to cover his eyes.

When the wind stopped, he tried to ready himself for her next attack, but found he couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried.

 _Why can't I move? What kind of jutsu was that?_

Koharu smirked through her heavy panting, walked calmly up to Kakashi, and placed a kunai against his neck.

She looked over at the proctor before smiling. "I believe this match is over."

The proctor, eyes wide and mouth gaping, remained silent.

"Well, are you going to call it or not? If it wasn't for your one rule he would be dead by now."

The proctor shook his head and called out, "And the winner is… KOHARU HACHIDORI!"

Koharu smiled and dropped the kunai from his neck, pocketing it in her pouch. She then released the jutsu, causing Kakashi to fall to the ground.

"What the hell was that, Koharu?" Kakashi quickly pushed himself off of the ground, still completely shocked by what just happened.

Koharu opened her mouth but felt lightheaded and closed it.

 _What's wrong with me?_

"YES, KOHARU! THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

Koharu heard Manami's voice ring out from the crowd, before everything started to spin. The brunette held her head and glanced up toward the crowd at her friend's outburst.

 _Why is it always Manami that embarrasses me?_

Koharu looked over toward Kakashi, whose eyebrows were furrowed and eyes full of worry.

 _Why is he looking at me like that?_

Footsteps began approaching her, as she closed her eyes trying to slow down the spinning.

"Koharu!" she heard a voice say, but couldn't place who it was.

Suddenly, Koharu felt a pair of arms lift her from the ground.

After that, everything around her went black.

* * *

A/N: Uh oh! Koharu blacked out ! I've blacked out before, but that's just because I'm a klutz. -Yui


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but I introduced Yui and Ritsu to Naruto so they're pretty much indebted to me forever. I made Yui watch it after making her help clean my trash can closet. 3 -Mio

* * *

Koharu's eyes fluttered open to the sound of a machine beeping near her.

 _What happened? Where am I?_

When she regained full consciousness, she looked around and tried to place where she was. It was then when she realized the beeping she heard was a heart monitor.

 _Ugh… I landed myself in the hospital,_ the kunoichi groaned.

Koharu tried to sit up but winced. She found herself feeling extremely light-headed.

 _That tournament… I knew that jutsu wasn't ready… I shouldn't have pushed myself._

More memories from the battle with Kakashi came flooding back to her mind as she tried to remember exactly what happened.

 _That jerk. I can't believe I let myself be hospitalized facing someone like him._

Koharu's thoughts were interrupted when a nurse walked in.

"Oh good, you're up! Don't worry, sweetie, I'm only here to check and see how you're doing!"

Koharu nodded as she began to comply to the nurse's requests. The nurse sighed as she finished checking on her.

"Well you look fine… Just take it easy here for a little bit longer and you should be ready to check out soon enough."

"Umm miss? How long have I been out? And would you happen to know how I ended up here?" Koharu asked.

"You passed out after winning the tournament, but it was only due to excessive chakra loss. You must have worked yourself hard!" the nurse replied. "After you fainted, your friend Manami helped another guy with grey hair bring you here."

 _Manami must have been so mad… Wait. What did she just say?_

"W-who did you say helped her?"

"A nice gentleman with grey hair… He carried you all the way here from the arena and looked very worried… He's actually been making frequent visits here to see how you're doing."

 _Kakashi? Why would Kakashi help me?_

Koharu politely dismissed the nurse, completely taken aback by Kakashi's actions. "Oh… Thank you… If it's okay, I think I'd like to take a nap."

The nurse nodded and left at her request, leaving Koharu to her thoughts again.

 _Did he really carry me all the way here? Why would he go out of his way to come check on me? None of it makes sense._

Suddenly, Koharu's thoughts were, yet again, interrupted when a flash of yellow hair bursted through the door, the host club and Manami not far behind him.

When Manami spotted Koharu, she winced at the sight of her friend lying in a hospital bed. She reached for Gaara, who gave her a reassuring pat in return.

"Koharu! We have been so worried about you! How are you feeling? Are you still hurt? Is there any pain left?" Minato rambled on as he stepped closer to the bed.

Koharu shook her head and smiled while opening and closing her mouth, not sure how to get a word in with Minato's rapidly fired questions.

Kushina whacked the back of Minato's head, effectively cutting him off. "Let the girl talk, ya know!"

Koharu looked at Kushina gratefully. "Minato! I'm fine! I feel much better. They've been treating me well."

Minato rubbed the back of his head but nodded and smiled, glad to hear that she was doing better. Koharu glanced around the room to take in the sudden mob of people that showed up and noticed one person was missing.

"Would everyone mind if I talked to Minato for a second? There's something I need to ask him."

Everyone nodded and turned to exit, except Minato. _Why does she need to speak to me privately?_

When everyone was gone, Minato spoke up. "What is it, Koharu? Is something wrong?"

"Umm... Well... How do I word this? One of the nurses came in earlier and told me that a guy with grey hair had carried me all the way here from the arena and has been visiting me pretty frequently…" Koharu trailed off. "Is it true? Has he really been coming here to see me?"

Minato squirmed uncomfortably at the question. Kakashi had asked him not to mention anything, but it seemed that she had found out anyways.

"I don't really know what you're talking about… I mean a lot of people have grey hair, Koharu."

" _Minato_ , knock it off! You know who I'm talking about. Is it true?"

The blonde sighed, realizing he wouldn't be able to work his way out of this one.

"Yes, it's true. He seemed genuinely concerned about you after the tournament was over. He's been trying to make sure you recovered well, so he's been coming here when he's gotten the chance."

Koharu contemplated this for a few seconds before speaking up again.

"But why? We haven't gotten along since we met… It just doesn't make sense. And if he's so 'concerned' why didn't he come this time with the rest of you? Besides, it's his fault I'm here in the first place."

Minato crossed his arms and studied Koharu. "Why are you so upset that he has been coming to visit you? It's not like he is doing anything wrong. Besides, you can't _really_ blame him for you being here… You're the one who overdid it."

"I was just trying to put the pieces together in my head…" Koharu said defensively.

A silence formed between the two, and Koharu ran over what Minato said in her head.

 _I guess I did overdo it by trying to show him up. And I guess it is kind of sweet that he's been so worried about me…_

Koharu slightly blushed at the thought but quickly shook her head to chase it away. She didn't want Minato to be getting any ideas about them.

Minato watched her reaction as she thought over what he just said. _Did she just blush?_ _No… I must have imagined it._

The blonde sighed and ruffled Koharu's hair before setting a few books down on the table by her bed. "You should get some rest if you want to get better. Here… I know it's not what you like to read, but if you're bored enough…"

* * *

The next day Koharu laid in bed, bored out of her mind. She picked at the food the nurse left and groaned.

 _This isn't even food._

Koharu glanced over at the books Minato left, contemplating the idea.

 _I do need something to do… No, no, don't do it…_

Hesitantly, the brunette sighed, pushed her "food" tray away from her, and grabbed the book on top.

 _I'm just going to do it… I'm weak, but at least no one will know._

A few hours and three books later, Koharu was hooked.

 _I can't believe the audacity she has to break up with him! After everything he's done for her… Damn this book._

Suddenly, Koharu's concentration was broken when a deep voice echoed throughout the room.

"I thought you were only into the classics, Koharu."

Koharu threw the book down and her eyes darted up toward the sound before widening.

There stood Kakashi, casually leaning against doorway to her room.

Flustered and feeling the heat creep up to her face, Koharu started to stutter.

"I-it was just left here, a-and I was bored, a-and…"

Kakashi chuckled. "It's alright, you don't have to say anything. I just wanted to come and make sure you weren't hurt."

Koharu looked away from Kakashi, noting the amusement obvious across his face. She picked the book back up and placed a bookmark where she left off.

 _What is he doing here, and why is he still being so nice? Did he really just catch me reading one of his perverted books?_

Koharu sat in stunned silence, her mind continuing to race. Koharu looked back up at Kakashi, wanting to ask him a dozen questions, but nothing came out.

Kakashi laughed again, noticing Koharu was actually speechless for once. He pushed himself off the doorframe and turned to exit the room. "Oh, but I would _love_ to hear your thoughts on Master Jiraiya's works," he called behind him, smirking.

Koharu's blush deepened, and even though Kakashi was no longer in view, her thoughts were still jumbled. When she finally gathered herself, she smiled.

"Thank you, Kakashi…" she said quietly to herself.

As Kakashi stepped out in the hall, he softly smiled and leaned against a wall not too far from her room.

 _She definitely looks better than the first night I brought her here…_

A nurse walked by and looked at Kakashi.

"Hey, Kakashi, right? If you're going to stay another night, you can use a cot… I know the chairs in the waiting room aren't the most comfortable."

The masked ninja shook his head. "That's okay, I think she's well enough for me to go home."

The nurse smiled and nodded before walking away.

Kakashi sighed. _Koharu, I don't know what it is about you, but for some reason you haven't left my head since the day we met._

The copy ninja pushed himself off the wall and began to leave the hospital, shoving his hands in his pockets.

 _Maybe I just like you more than I wanted to…_

Meanwhile, Koharu sat in her bed still staring at the spot Kakashi once stood.

 _Why do you have to make it so hard to hate you, Kakashi?_

Koharu sighed and leaned back against her pillow, resting her arms across her stomach.

 _I guess what everyone says about you is true… You really can be as caring as they said._

Koharu felt her eyes get heavy and decided to give into her exhaustion. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes before drifting off into a deep sleep.

* * *

A/N: Omgomgomg. They're finally being nice to each other! *fangirl* -Mio


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Sometimes I think about dogs and I just start crying. They are too pure, we don't deserve them. If we owned Naruto, I might make dogs the main characters. -Ritsu

* * *

After a successful host club event one day, everyone was cleaning up the room. However, Manami, who usually helped with cleanup, was sitting on a couch near the window, tapping her foot. Worry etched across her face.

On the opposite side of the host club room, Itachi and Gaara were picking up some tea cups. Itachi elbowed Gaara and pointed to Manami.

"Hey, I think there's something wrong with your girl."

Gaara followed Itachi's finger and saw Manami. The redhead looked back at Itachi.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about… She's not my girl… We're not together!"

Itachi chuckled and went back to cleaning the cups. Gaara continued to stare at Manami and sighed.

 _I guess it wouldn't hurt to go see what's wrong with her…_

The redhead slowly approached Manami and silently sat down next to her.

"You know, I think this is the longest Koharu and I have been apart," Manami stated, not moving her eyes from the window.

Gaara looked over at her with one eyebrow raised, but remained silent.

Manami chuckled. "I should probably explain how we met…" _But where do I even begin?_

"When Koharu was little, she would always isolate herself. The other girls and I would try to avoid her because of how… how cold she was."

Gaara nodded, fully understanding how Koharu felt. He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

"Well… Isn't she still that way?"

Manami looked at him and smiled slightly. "The Koharu you know now is _completely_ different from the one I first met."

Gaara smiled, trying to imagine Koharu worse than she already was.

Manami continued, "No one really wanted to get close to her, you know. She always pushed everyone around her away, and when people tried to talk to her she would just look at them with an empty stare… Minato told me she wouldn't even talk to him when he was around! Anyways, one day I decided enough was enough and chose to sit next to her in class. I mean everyone deserves a friend, right?"

At the last comment, Gaara closed his eyes and took in a breath. He knew all too well the pain of not having a friend around when he needed one.

Manami gave a worried glance toward Gaara, but kept on with her story.

"Every day, little by little, I hung out with her. Before either of us knew it, we were spending whole days together. After that, we became inseparable! It's funny… a lot of people thought I was just being friends with her out of pity, but I always told them, 'If you would get to know her, you'd love her too,' but no one listened."

Gaara laughed lightly. "Somehow I'm not surprised you managed to change her."

The blue-eyed girl smiled and looked down at her hands. "She changed me too… More than she realizes."

Manami shook her head. "I'm not sure why… But since Koharu's been hospitalized she seems… _Off._ I feel like she's hiding something from me, but I don't know why. I've always been able to tell what Koharu has been thinking, and naturally she can do the same for me… But right now, I just can't read her!"

Gaara nodded but remained silent. He slowly slid his hand on top of Manami's.

The honey-haired girl sighed and looked out the window again, letting herself think over what could have happened.

After a while, Gaara cleared his throat. "I was actually very similar to Koharu when I was little."

Manami looked away from the window, giving Gaara her full attention.

The redhead continued, "In fact, I never really even had a real friend until I met Minato and the rest of the host club."

Manami opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Gaara.

"I would have loved to have a friend like you back then, Manami. It became very lonely sometimes... People can be cruel. I hope Koharu knows she's very lucky."

 _Gaara… I'm so sorry._ Manami's heart broke the more and more Gaara described his childhood.

Once Gaara finished, there was a pause. Manami smiled and held Gaara's hand tighter.

"Well, you do now!"

Manami scooted closer to Gaara and leaned into him. Gaara tensed at first, but then slowly relaxed and put his arm around Manami, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, Manami. Koharu will open up to you when she's ready."

Manami sighed. _You're probably right… but I hope she does soon._

The medic nin rested her head on Gaara and the two leaned back on the couch. They stayed that way, silently watching the rest of the host club clean up.

Minato turned to Itachi and grabbed his shoulders. "Look how grown up Gaara is! It's so cute, Itachi!"

Itachi rolled his eyes and shrugged Minato off of him. Itachi scoffed and walked over to put more stuff up in the cabinet.

"'Not my girl.' Sure, Gaara."

* * *

A/N: When we got to double digits on Google Docs, we had to put an A after Chapter to keep it in numerical order. -Ritsu


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto :/ 222 is my favorite number. I mean I love the number 2, so why not have it three times in a row? Also, my birthday is the 222nd day of the year, so :) -Your BFF, Yui

* * *

It had been a week since Koharu was hospitalized, and she could not have been any more frustrated. She sat in the hospital bed picking at her nails, completely bored.

 _Maybe I could read Icha Icha, I mean it's all I have… No, that's too risky. I've already been caught once and I don't want anyone else to find out._

Koharu sighed and looked away from her nails over to the door, hopeful she would see a grey-haired guy walk through if she focused hard enough.

 _Maybe he'll come today… I just need to talk about Icha Icha with someone who has read it. Dammit Jiraiya, who ends a book like that?_

Koharu found herself cursing Jiraiya, but not just for the books. She couldn't believe she was reckless enough to get herself hospitalized. She knew well enough that it was nearly impossible to get out since Jiraiya was never here to give the okay and sign the release forms.

Koharu flipped herself over and mumbled to herself, "I could have left days ago but nooo!"

As she turned over to start complaining to herself some more, a strange looking nurse walked into the room.

Koharu turned around. "Excuse me ma'am, how much longer will I be in- MINATO?"

Minato turned around quickly, astonished she recognized him. "How did you know it was me? I thought this disguise was foolproof!"

"Minato, why are you dressed like a nurse?!" Koharu exclaimed.

The blonde quickly rushed over and covered Koharu's mouth with his hand.

"Koharu, if you keep yelling you'll get us caught and we'll never get out of here!"

 _What does he mean 'we'? What insane idea does he have now?_

Before she could question him any further, the door to her room swung open, and in fell Manami and a very upset looking Shikamaru, who was also dressed as a nurse.

"I would just like to say, this was _not_ my idea…" Shikamaru pointed out.

"And all because of a _certain_ troublesome woman," the shadow ninja mumbled under his breath.

Koharu struggled against the urge to burst out laughing. This whole scene was ridiculous.

"How is this _my_ fault?" she chuckled. "I didn't tell you to come here dressed up like a nurse."

To her right, Koharu heard a tap on the window. Minato scrambled over to that side of the room to open it.

Outside, Sai and Itachi, both wearing masks, were airbound on one of Sai's ink birds.

As Minato flung the window open, Itachi immediately began to complain about this plan.

"Are the masks _really_ necessary, Minato? We look like we're doing something illegal!"

Minato gasped, obviously offended. "Of COURSE they are! If Kakashi can do it, then so can we!"

Manami put her hands on her hips before coming to Minato's defense. "Besides, I'm pretty sure impersonating a doctor and breaking someone out of a hospital _is_ illegal, so it's fitting!"

Shikamaru began to grab all of Koharu's belongings and Manami attempted to help Koharu out of the bed.

"Come on, we have to do this quickly," Manami urged.

Koharu propped herself up and slung her arm around Manami. As they walked toward the empty window, Koharu paused remembering she had a bone to pick with Manami.

"Hey, what was with all the yelling during my match? Were you trying to embarrass me?"

Manami turned her head and giggled. "Of course, that's my job!"

They resumed walking toward the window, and Shikamaru and Manami both tried to lift Koharu up when they reached it.

"You know I don't need all this help… I was actually cleared several days ago." Koharu was mildly annoyed with the others for not allowing her to move on her own.

 _Speaking of annoyed…_ "Hey where's Gaara?"

She looked around for the missing redhead.

Manami let out a long and dramatic sigh. "He didn't want to put on the nurse's outfit, even though it looked _super_ cute on him!"

Koharu smiled at Manami's exaggerated reaction and shook her head.

 _I wonder what Kakashi would look like as a nurse…_

Minato stopped climbing and hopped back in the room. He spun around to give the group a full 360 look while putting on his cheesiest smile.

"Does it look cute on me?"

Koharu looked him up and down, trying her best not to smile.

"First off, that top does NOT go with your hair, and the skirt is ALL wrong."

Minato deflated at the comment, and a frown formed across his lips as sweat dripped down his forehead.

Koharu snickered at Minato's reaction and began to reassure him she was just kidding. "You look great Minato, but come on, we really do need to get going. A _real_ nurse usually comes around about this time to check up on me."

Minato quickly climbed out of the window and leaned against Sai on the bird. "ONWARD, SAI! IT'S TIME TO MAKE OUR ESCAPE!"

"I would have gone regardless of the yelling, Minato. It's not going to make me move any faster. In fact, I am now less motivated to-"

"Sai, just fly the damn bird!" an exasperated Itachi scolded.

* * *

As the group flew away on the bird, Kakashi peeked in and found an empty room with disheveled blankets and an open window.

The masked ninja sighed. _I guess I'm too late. I'll just have to find her later._

He turned back around and shut the door behind him, leaving the hospital.

* * *

Back on the bird, Koharu leaned against Manami. She couldn't help but smile a little.

 _I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time…_ Manami thought to herself.

"I can't believe you guys actually went through all of that trouble just to get me out of the hospital," Koharu said, her smile widening. "Thank you."

Minato beamed. "Another flawless plan executed perfectly by yours truly!"

Koharu rolled her eyes at Minato and turned to Sai and Itachi, grinning at the sight of the two. "Don't tell Kakashi, but you might be pulling off the mask look better than he is."

Sai turned back to Koharu and put on his best fake smile.

"That's a real compliment, seeing as how much you hate him," he said sarcastically.

Everyone glared at Sai and Itachi sighed. _He's still not any better at this kind of stuff!_

Koharu looked around the group. "Speaking of Kakashi, where is he?"

"I'm not sure… We haven't seen him all day," Minato replied.

Koharu scoffed. "And I was looking forward to seeing you," she mumbled to herself.

"Hey, I can see the school! We're almost there!" Manami clapped her hands excitedly.

Koharu sighed. _Great, just where I want to go…_

* * *

A/N: Who are y'all's fave Naruto characters? I love too many I could never pick. (Jk I love Kakashi and Naruto and Gaara and Minato) (And Hinata and Sakura after she apprentices with Tsunade) (Oh and Jiraiya) (And Sai) (I could go on forever) -Yui


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. I love The Selection series. I introduced Yui and Ritsu to that too. Prince Maxon is dreamy. -Mio

* * *

Soon after the escape, Koharu and the rest of the group arrived back at the host club. As they opened the door to Room 222, Kushina, hair rising, came flying toward them yelling things at lighting speed.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? IS THAT KOHARU? DID YOU SNEAK HER OUT? IS SHE OKAY? IS ANYONE HURT? WHY ARE YOU DRESSED UP AS A NURSE, YA KNOW!" she spouted as she shook Minato.

Minato frantically shook his hands back and forth and desperately looked around for backup. Everyone took a step back except Koharu, who decided to speak up.

"Kushina, you can stop torturing Minato now! They were actually all really helpful to me," Koharu said. "We're all fine now, but if you keep yelling I might end up in the hospital again!"

Kushina closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. As she relaxed, her hair started to fall back onto her head. Kushina opened her eyes and shot Minato one final look before moving on.

"It's actually pretty late, we should probably head home," Itachi commented.

As if to emphasize his friend's point, Sai yawned and stretched out his arms dramatically. Everyone nodded in agreement, finally feeling the exhaustion hit them.

 _You think you guys are ready to go home... I haven't seen my actual bed in a week._

Everyone said their goodbyes and began heading in their own directions. As Koharu walked home, she zoned out and let her thoughts carry her aimlessly. It wasn't until she felt a tap her on the shoulder that she realized someone had been calling her name.

Koharu turned around and came face to face with Kakashi. She scoffed and looked back ahead of her then started walking again.

"Nice of you to finally show up," the kunoichi sneered.

Kakashi tried to match the brunette's pace as she began to walk away from him. Koharu turned to look at Kakashi again but realized he had something behind his back.

Koharu stopped abruptly. "What's behind your back?"

"I don't know… Maybe if you apologized for not hearing me you could find out," Kakashi said as he stopped, turning around to face her.

Koharu sighed and scratched the back of her head, mumbling an apology to Kakashi.

"Sorry I didn't hear you, I was too preoccupied with my _own_ thoughts to hear your obnoxious yelling."

"Hmm… I don't know if I want to give it to you if _that's_ how you're going to apologize," he shrugged.

Koharu let out a deep breath and put on her best fake smile.

"Oh, Kakashi, I am ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY sorry I didn't notice you. Now please, please, PLEASE tell me what's behind your back."

"Hmmm…" Kakashi tapped his chin, contemplating her request.

Koharu folded her arms across her chest.

"I'm not a huge fan of playing games, Kakashi," she grumbled.

Kakashi chuckled. "Oh sorry, do they not end well for you, _Koharu_?"

Without missing a beat, Koharu scoffed and her impatience intensified. "Just tell me what's behind your back, Kakashi."

Kakashi eye smiled at Koharu as he pulled out a book behind his back. Koharu's face turned bright red when she recognized the cover, and she had to bite her lip to hold back a smile.

"I noticed you needed the last one in the series, so I took the liberty of getting it for you. After all, you don't get to find out if they ended up together in the novel you ended on," Kakashi finished with a wink.

Koharu sheepishly took the book from Kakashi, and looked away from him. "You pervert…"

"Takes one to know one, huh, Koharu?" Kakashi replied with a smirk.

Koharu rolled her eyes, and the two continued to walk toward Koharu's house while chatting about the series. Koharu was excited to finally be able to talk to someone about what she's read so far.

Eventually, the kunoichi reached her house and they parted ways.

Koharu closed the door behind her and leaned up against it. She looked over at her father's bookshelf to see all of his novels there.

The brunette looked down at the book Kakashi gave her in her hands and smiled.

 _I think I'll keep this one in my private collection._

Koharu walked into her room and flopped down on her bed. She opened up the book and started on the novel.

As Koharu laid there reading, she kept replaying the situation between her and Kakashi over and over in her head. The green-eyed girl closed the book Kakashi gave her and stared at the pictures on her desk.

 _Oh no… Don't tell me I might actually have feelings for him…_

Koharu sighed and opened the book again.

 _It doesn't matter… There's no way he feels the same way._

* * *

Back at his apartment, Kakashi sat at his kitchen table, tapping a fork against his plate. He zoned out to the sound of the clinking echoing throughout his empty apartment.

 _I knew there was something different about her, but I never thought I would end up feeling this way._

Kakashi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, and stood up to bring his plate into the kitchen. As he turned on the sink and rinsed the plate under the water, he shook his head.

 _Don't be ridiculous, Kakashi. There's no way she would return those feelings to someone like you…_

* * *

A/N: Come on Kakashi and Koharu. Don't be dumb! Just get together already! Also, could anyone really pull the mask look off better than Kakashi? -Mio


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I am as pale as Sai. I wish it was an exaggeration. Oh yeah, we don't own Naruto. -Ritsu

* * *

The next day at school, Koharu was walking toward Room 222 after her last class.

 _I wonder what show they're putting on today…_

Before Koharu could reach the host club to find out, a frantic Shizune came running up behind her.

"Koharu! I hope you aren't too busy, but Lady Tsunade needs to see you immediately!"

 _Why does Lady Tsunade need me? If this is another 'capture the cat' mission I swear…_

Without asking any questions, Koharu nodded and quickly followed Shizune to Tsunade's office. As they entered, Tsunade looked up from her desk and set her sake cup down.

"Hello Koharu, I'm glad Shizune found you quickly."

Koharu nodded her head and bowed slightly.

"Shizune said it was urgent. Is everything okay, m'lady?"

 _This seems too serious for another D-rank mission… Did something happen to Jiraiya?_

Tsunade studied her for a second, then grabbed a file on her desk and handed it to Koharu.

"There has been a request from the Land of Lightning asking us to send help as soon as possible. It's a high-risk mission, S ranked, but it requires someone that can fly at extreme heights in freezing weather… I couldn't think of anyone more suitable than you."

Tsunade continued, "However, we can't afford to send a lot of shinobi on this mission, so you will be the team captain of three. The team consists of two people we have selected to go with you, as well as yourself. Do you think you will be able to do this?"

Koharu twisted her face while contemplating what she had just been told.

 _This could be a dangerous mission, but if they need me I have to do it._

Koharu nodded acceptingly. "I understand. I will do whatever is needed for the sake of the village. Is there anything else I should know, m'lady?"

"Yes. Your enemy, Deidara, is a member of the Akatsuki. He has been flying around the border of the Land of Lightning, and there is suspicion that he will try and strike the village nearby."

Koharu furrowed her eyebrows. "Akatsuki? That's the group my dad- I mean Jiraiya- has been looking into, right?"

"That's right, actually we got this information from him. I'm sure you can guess how dangerous this mission is if he's been looking into them," Tsunade nodded, confirming Koharu's question.

 _I don't think I've ever had a mission this important before… I can't afford to let anything go wrong._

"So when do I leave?" Koharu asked, looking over the file.

"You will meet your team at the front gate tomorrow morning and you will be leaving from there. Make sure you get a good night's rest. You have the rest of the evening to prepare yourself as you see fit. This mission could last up to a week."

"Thank you, m'lady," Koharu bowed respectfully and turned around.

With that, Koharu opened the door and left Tsunade's office.

 _I should probably tell Manami and the others that I'm leaving… Tsunade did say it was high-risk._

As Koharu opened the door to Room 222, she noticed the afternoon was in full swing. She looked around the room to find Manami sitting next to Gaara.

 _That's new… Looks like the spot next to Gaara is her new favorite place._

Not wanting to interrupt anything, Koharu scanned the room and spotted Shikamaru resting alone on a nearby couch.

 _I bet he could help me come up with some good strategies._

Koharu walked over and took a seat next to him, tossing a file onto his lap. The sudden weight caused Shikamaru to flutter one eye open before closing it again.

"What is it, Koharu? Can't you tell I'm trying to nap?"

"I need your help with something. I got assigned a mission, and it would be really helpful if you could think up some good strategies for me to use."

Shikamaru groaned, flipping through the file.

"Hmm… Fine, I'll help you. But only if you play me."

A smirk began to spread across Koharu's face as she turned toward the board.

"Fine by me. Maybe I'll actually beat you this time."

Shikamaru chuckled as he sat the file down and moved his first piece. "You're so confident for someone who is so bad."

As the game ensued, Koharu began to explain the mission to Shikamaru.

 _I hope she's better at missions than at Shogi. This is pitiful,_ Shikamaru thought as he took another one of her pieces.

While they talked, Kakashi, standing nearby, overheard them and grew curious. He decided to find out what was going on.

As Kakashi approached the two, he looked at the board and a goofy grin spread under his mask.

 _She's really just so terrible at this game. I guess what I said was right, games don't go well for her._

Kakashi opened his mouth to try to embarrass her but quickly closed it when he heard Koharu's next words.

"Yeah, and then Tsunade told me that I was getting assigned an S-rank mission, and that I'd be leaving tomor-"

"You're what?" Kakashi interrupted.

Koharu looked up at Kakashi, just then noticing his presence. Koharu looked back at Shikamaru before sighing.

 _If only he had been here earlier. I don't want to go through the whole explanation again._

"As I was saying, _Shikamaru_ , Tsunade said the risks are high, not only for my teammates and me, but for the Land of Lightning as well."

A short silence developed before Kakashi decided to speak up.

"I really don't think you should go, Koharu. You just got out of the hospital, and you're in no shape to put yourself under that kind of stress. This mission isn't suited for you and you could get extremely hurt, possibly even killed. I could _easily_ find someone better to take your place."

 _He did not just say that. Not to me he didn't._

Koharu's eyes narrowed as she thought over Kakashi's venomous words, and could feel the heat rising to her face.

"How dare you? You've never cared about my well-being before, so why start now?"

Finding herself getting more worked up the more she spoke, Koharu added, "And who are you to tell me I'm not qualified? That's pretty bold of you! Last time I checked, _you_ were the one who lost to _me_."

Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair, desperate to come up with a way to talk her out of the mission.

"I think you misinterpreted what I meant, Koharu. I-"

"I did _not_ misinterpret you, Kakashi. You were pretty straightforward. Contrary to what you may believe, I'm not naive. I _can_ and _will_ handle this mission."

Kakashi stared at Koharu for a few seconds before throwing his hand down to his side.

"Okay, fine. Whatever. Go and get yourself killed. See if I care!"

Without waiting to see her reaction, Kakashi turned and stormed out of the doors.

 _Why can't she just listen to me for once? One day that stubbornness of hers will catch up to her…_

Koharu mumbled bitterly under her breath and turned back to look at the Shogi board.

As she studied the board, trying to figure out where they left off, she noticed Shikamaru had already made a move that ended the game.

"I may or may not have finished the game while you were having your little argument…" Shikamaru laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

Koharu crossed her arms and closed her eyes trying to calm herself down. "So, any strategies, Shikamaru?"

* * *

The next morning, Koharu walked up to the gate, expecting her teammates to be there waiting for her. What she did not expect to see was Kakashi standing there reading his book.

 _Of course he would manage to show up on time to the one thing he isn't even a part of._

Koharu, still upset with their conversation the day prior, marched up to Kakashi. As Kakashi heard the crunch of leaves beneath someone's stomping feet, he shut his book.

 _So she's usually early to things then? Interesting…_

"Are you here to tell me how incapable I am again?" Koharu shot at him.

As she spoke, Kakashi could feel her rage in every syllable. Growing equally irritated, he crossed his arms.

"No, I think you can figure that out for yourself."

Koharu clenched her fists and bit her lip, slightly trembling from anger.

 _So she's a lip-biter too? That's the second time I've seen her do that…_

"I don't know what it is that makes you think I'm so weak, but you just watch me, Hatake."

 _I'm not trying to stop you because I think you're weak. Why can't you understand this?_

When Kakashi tried countering, the rest of Koharu's team walked up. Without saying another word, Koharu spun on her heel and walked over to greet them, her hands still trembling.

Before he knew it, Koharu had taken off with the rest of the group. That was when Kakashi realized his mistake.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on her…_

As he watched her disappear, Kakashi let out a breath. "Please come back to me safely, Koharu."

Kakashi opened his book again, and walked away from the gate.

 _Hatake, huh? She's never called me that before._

* * *

The mission had been going smoothly, and Koharu was gaining confidence in herself. The only thing holding her back was Kakashi's words resonating in the back of her mind.

" _No, I think you can figure that out for yourself."_

" _I could easily find someone to replace you."_

" _Go and get yourself killed. See if I care!"_

Koharu shook her head, desperate to push his voice out of her mind.

 _Dammit Kakashi, why can't I shake you off?_

* * *

As Koharu's mission dragged on, Kakashi found himself staying home more than he usually did. Even around the host club he barely talked, sparking the group's concern.

"Go talk to him, Minato!" Kushina urged.

Minato turned to her, "Why me? Why not Itachi or Sai?"

"You've known him the longest! If there's anyone he'll listen to it's you."

Sai, hearing his name, walked over. "There's nothing in my book about this, so I wouldn't be much help."

Minato sighed. Hesitantly, he walked over to the couch Kakashi was sitting on and took a seat next to him. After a short silence he spoke up.

"She is going to be okay, Kakashi. She is the Bird of Konoha, _ya know_."

Kakashi looked over at his friend and chuckled slightly.

 _Kushina has definitely rubbed off on him._

"Yeah, Minato, I know. I just can't help but worry a little."

There was another pause as Kakashi searched his thoughts.

"I think I'm gonna head out early and train to take my mind off of things," he said while getting up.

"Don't destroy too many dummies!" Minato called out as Kakashi headed toward the door.

 _No promises…_

* * *

 _This rain sure is getting annoying…_

There was another flash of lighting as the three soaking wet shinobi soared through the dark grey sky.

"Captain, what should we do?" Moeru called out, voice muffled by the rain.

Koharu stopped on a branch and put her hand up, signaling the others to stop as well. Her comrades landed on the same branch as her, and she shook her hair out, beginning to give instructions.

"I know that continuing on in the storm is dangerous for us. However, considering the severity of the mission, I think it's important we keep pushing through. This mission _has_ to be successful, and there is no sign the rain will stop soon."

Koharu sighed looking between the two shinobi in front of her, "I'm prepared to sacrifice myself for you two, as well as for the success of this mission. I hope you two feel the same."

The two Shinobi made eye contact before shrugging.

"Of course we do. We're shinobi, we know the dangers that come with the job," Seikatsu agreed.

Koharu smiled lightly at the two. "I'm glad we're on the same page here. Alright, let's keep moving. We have to reach Deidara before he can infiltrate the village."

Ignoring the storm, Koharu and her two teammates continued toward the village at stake. As they were traveling, there was a sudden flash of lightning and a blood-curdling scream filled the air.

Koharu was lucky enough to have missed the lightning strike, but one of her comrades was not as fortunate **.** When she turned around, she saw Moeru falling through the sky.

"MOERU!" Koharu yelled. She quickly bit her finger but stopped in the middle of the sign sequence. Summoning one of her birds wouldn't be worth it, not after being struck by lightning and falling from this big of a height.

 _It's probably too late… summoning another bird would just be a waste of chakra…_

"C-captain?"

 _Good, Seikatsu's still alive…_

"Quickly! We need to find shelter."

Soon, the two found shelter in a cave near by. Both Koharu and Seikatsu remained silent in respect for their fallen teammate. As they sat there, Koharu thought about what Kakashi said once more _._

 _Maybe he was right… I'm not strong enough for this_.

Seikatsu broke the silence between the two of them, finally voicing his thoughts.

"Why didn't you try to save him? I saw you weaving hand signs, but you just stopped…"

Koharu looked outside the cave to see the rain still pouring.

"I thought I would need to save up my chakra for the mission. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"

Seikatsu stood up and walked over to the opening of the cave.

Her comrade scoffed. _How heartless can she be?_

"There's no way we can defeat a member of the Akatsuki by ourselves, especially not in this condition… I think it's best if we head back to the village."

 _He's right…_ Koharu winced.

Hesitantly, Koharu agreed. "You're right. We'll head back first thing in the morning. Try to sleep, I'll take the first watch."

* * *

The next day the two packed up their stuff and began to set out for Konoha.

 _What am I supposed to say to Tsunade?_

Koharu had thought about it all night, but she was still just as clueless as when she began.

After a trip in complete silence, the two finally made it back to the village safely.

"You go home, Seikatsu. I'll file the mission report."

As Seikatsu began to walk away from Koharu, she called out to him, "HEY! Seikatsu! I'm sorry about how this turned out. Really, I am. I should have done something."

Seikatsu nodded in response, "Too little too late, don't you think? Goodbye Captain."

Feeling too embarrassed about her failure, Koharu tried to avoid any contact with people at all costs. Back at the host club, Koharu's continued absence took a toll on each of the members.

"I know she's back at school, I saw her the other day..." Manami mumbled, frowning.

"She just goes straight home after her last class. Whenever I see her she just turns the other way…" Kushina added.

"She's also been looking very thin… It's not a good look for her." Sai nodded along.

As everyone else talked, Kakashi sat there in silence not knowing to say.

 _Koharu…_ he thought. _What are you doing to yourself?  
_

* * *

A/N: Koharu reminds me of Anbu Kakashi, sometimes. -Ritsu


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: S/O to Masashi Kishimoto for writing Naruto. Luv ya bud. -Yui

* * *

It had been days since Koharu got back from her mission, but she was still going out of her way to avoid people.

Kakashi sighed. _Day five and still no sign of Koharu…_

The copy ninja shook his head. After the host club ended that day, he decided he would head to the memorial stone to talk to some old friends. He always felt comforted there.

As Kakashi walked up to the stone, he paused and looked up at the sky.

 _It looks like it's about to-_

As if on cue, a loud roll of thunder boomed, interrupting his thoughts.

 _Well look at that, I was right again._

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he continued on, and noticed someone he hadn't expected to see.

 _Is that…?_

"Koharu?" he whispered to himself.

The brunette was too busy staring at the stone to notice anyone coming up to her. Kakashi sauntered up to the stone and stood behind her.

Noticing the kunoichi still hadn't heard him, he looked at her a little worried before greeting her.

"Hey," he said.

Startled by the unexpected but familiar voice, Koharu jumped back.

 _Please don't tell me that's who I think it is…_ she thought, turning around to face the person next to her.

Koharu turned away quickly looking back at the stone, her body stiffening.

Kakashi frowned. _What's wrong with her?_

There was a pause before Koharu mustered up enough courage to speak.

"W-what are you doing here?" Her voice cracked, as if she would cry at any moment.

The ninja studied her, noticing the fluctuation in her voice. Deciding that continuing to stare at her would only make matters worse, he focused on the stone in front of them.

"Sometimes I come here when I need to gather my thoughts or be alone," he replied. "It's calming to me."

 _Calming? I wouldn't exactly call grief calming… I guess it's been a while if he's this relaxed about it, though._

Koharu cleared her throat, "Is… there someone here you visit often?"

Kakashi stayed silent for a moment before taking in a sharp breath. His voice softened as he began to speak.

"A long time ago, one of my best friends told me..."

The brunette glanced up at the sky as Kakashi began talking. She watched as the rain started to fall.

 _I bet this is the same rain from the mission when Moeru… When he…._

"...that people who abandon missions are scum, but people who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

Koharu winced at the thought of Moeru. As Kakashi's words sunk into her, she felt herself fall apart even more. She felt like the world was shrinking around her, and she thought she would let it crush her if it could.

The grey-haired ninja stepped closer to the frail shinobi and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 _She is so hard on herself… I wish I could just take it all away…_

"I heard what happened on the mission, Koharu. You don't have to hide from everyone, you know. No one blames you for it."

The brunette opened her mouth to try to speak, but her voice cracked at the attempt. She could feel the water form in her eyes as the rain fell down her back.

Instead of risking the embarrassment of letting Kakashi see her cry, she leaned forward against the stone and pointed to the newest engraved name.

' _Moeru Fuun'_

Koharu paused and sighed. _Deep breaths, Koharu, you can do this._

"I-It's _my_ fault his name is here, and it's _my_ fault he'll never see his family again, no matter how you look at it."

Even though the kunoichi tried to remain strong, her body began to shake.

 _I can't take it anymore._

Koharu broke. Her knees became weak and hot tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking her already wet face. Her world had stopped turning.

Before she could collapse any further, she felt a strong but gentle hand grasp her chin and pull it toward him.

She looked up at Kakashi, his expression a mix of sympathy and pain.

Kakashi lowered his voice into a whisper.

"Koharu… I was once like you, but there have been multiple people in my life that have guided me in the right direction…"

The ninja faltered off, but exhaled and slowly continued.

"Two of the most important people in my life died in attempts to protect the village. My father, Sakumo Hatake, was put in a similar situation to yours when he was alive. On one mission, he was faced with the impossible task of choosing to complete the mission or saving his comrades from danger. My dad, being the kind man that he was, decided to save his comrades rather than finish the mission. After he did this, the village slandered him over it. Everyone shunned him saying he didn't stick to the rules and complete the mission. Even the ones he saved hated him. When he couldn't take the negativity anymore, he decided to take his own life."

Kakashi closed his eyes after finishing his first story.

 _I don't know when the last time was I told someone all of this… That's if I've even spoken about it to someone._

"You don't have to continue on if you don't want to, Kakashi," Koharu said, noting the obvious difficulty he was having in recounting these painful memories.

Shaking his head, the copy ninja opened his eyes again. "No, no, let me finish, _please_."

Koharu nodded, giving Kakashi her full attention.

"In the Third Shinobi War, I fought alongside my teammates Obito and Rin. Rin was always so responsible and caring, but Obito was definitely something else."

Kakashi chuckled before continuing.

"We never really got along, Obito and I. He was a knucklehead, late to everything. He always thought that friends were more important than missions but because of my dad, I thought otherwise. I didn't think he was fit to be a shinobi. During the war, the enemy captured Rin and took her hostage. I had no choice but to work with Obito. It was then that he told me what I told you earlier. 'People who abandon missions are scum, but people who abandon their friends are worse than scum.' The reality of truth finally hit me, and ever since that day that line has stuck with me."

Kakashi paused once again and took in one final breath.

"When we tried to rescue Rin from the cave the enemies held her in, the walls began collapsing. Boulders began falling everywhere and at one point one came rolling toward me. Before I could move, Obito jumped and pushed me out of the way… The boulder crushed him, but Rin and I couldn't do anything to help. His parting gift to me was this sharingan… He knew I would need it since one of the enemies blinded my left eye in an earlier battle. I really didn't know how I could thank him for what he did for me, so now I just come here to do it…"

"Kakashi… I…"

Koharu trailed off, becoming distracted by a raindrop trailing down his masked face. She watched as it rolled from his temple, past his cheekbone, and down his jaw. Her eyes then wandered to his lips.

 _His lips… how have I never noticed… No, stop it, Koharu!_

During the pause, he took a good look at the strong-willed, soaking wet girl in front of him.

 _Looking at her is like looking in a mirror…_

"I… I never meant what I said. You really are one of the strongest kunoichis in the village. If you couldn't complete the mission, no one would have been able to."

The more Kakashi talked, the more she could feel the earth around her begin to move again, and the more she could feel the weight of it crushing in around her lighten. She could breathe again.

They both stared into each other's eyes, lost in their own thoughts. Koharu feigned a tiny smiled.

 _You've done more than you know, Kakashi…_

Kakashi chuckled, "I bet I'm the first one to make you smile after you got back."

The kunoichi's grin grew and she let out a tiny laugh. "That's probably a safe bet."

Kakashi looked down at her.

 _We're so close to each other right now…_

Koharu looked up.

 _I can basically feel his breathing…_

Realizing where her thoughts were taking her, The brunette lept back, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

As she moved back, she noticed the way Kakashi's clothes clung to his body from the rain and looked down at herself to see her clothes stuck to her as well.

"I sh-should probably go home. I'm soaking wet, and I haven't really slept or eaten lately… but, thank you, Kakashi."

Koharu took one last glance at the way Kakashi looked from the rain and spun around trying to walk away, before she was quickly tugged back.

The brunette pulled her into his chest, his masked mouth brushing against her ear. His voice became raspy from lowering it to a whisper.

"Thank _you_ , Koharu, for coming home safely to me."

He gently released her and eye smiled. He watched as she looked at him, confusion and a crimson blush painted across her face. Koharu then walked away, leaving Kakashi alone with his friends.

Kakaki turned to the stone and sighed.

"Rin, Obito, I could really use some help… How can one girl make me feel this way?"

* * *

A/N: Moeru Fuun actually means unfortunately burned in japanese. RIP. -Still Yui


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Jklol. We wish we did. By the way, jklol is pronounced jik-lawl. - All of us bc one of our teachers said so. -Mio

* * *

A few days later, the host club was chatting among themselves after a meeting.

After a few conversations in, Manami asked a question no one had the courage to ask yet.

"So… has anyone seen Koharu? I'm starting to get really worried. It's been an entire week since she got back and I haven't heard a word from her… I've never been apart from her for this long."

Manami looked down at her hands as she thought about her friend, worry growing with each second no one answered her question.

Minato got up as the medic ninja spoke and began to pace back and forth, mumbling things to himself quickly.

"I think.. I don't.. She was.. Her dad… Koharu is… The mission… Is back now… Where is… Worried…."

"Minato, take a breath, ya know! No can understand what you're saying!" Kushina said, exasperated.

Shikamaru sighed and stared at the Shogi board in front of him thinking of Koharu.

"That troublesome woman! Why doesn't she just come back? No one thinks any less of her, and things are even more of a drag around here."

There was more silence before Itachi slapped his hands on his knees and stood up.

"I know! I'll use my sharingan on her to get her to come back! Don't worry guys, I have this under control."

"Itachi, even I know this isn't a good idea," Sai remarked. "How could you possibly bring her back with your sharingan? Cast her under a genjutsu and drag her back?"

Sai grabbed the Uchiha's hand and pulled him back down on the couch.

Gaara glanced at his two friends exchange and began to question the two's choices.

 _I see Sai is the same as always. He had no issue with the morals behind Itachi's statement and was more focused behind the logic…_

Manami exhaled and leaned into Gaara. The sand sibling wrapped his arm around Manami.

 _This must be killing her…_

Kakashi flipped a page in _Icha Icha_ and started reading the next paragraph, too engrossed to look up.

 _I should probably say something…_

"Didn't I tell anyone I saw her?" he asked nonchalantly, continuing to read his favorite part.

Minato snapped out of his trance and flashed immediately over at the masked ninja. She yanked the book out of Kakashi's hand before he could react.

The grey-haired Shinobi reached for his book desperate to keep reading.

"Hey, Minato! This is the-"

"SHE'S _MY_ BEST FRIEND!" Manami snapped shooting up out of her seat, anger evident on her face.

Gaara tried to calm her down by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Manami, it's okay, maybe you sh-"

"NO, GAARA! WHY WOULD KOHARU TALK TO HIM AND NOT ME?"

The host club all turned to Kakashi wondering the same thing.

With Minato still holding Kakashi's book, Kakashi looked around the room and noticed everyone's eyes were fixated on him.

He stood up and rubbed the back of his head, nervously laughing.

"Well you see… on the night of that big storm, after I left the host club, I ran into her at the memorial stone-"

"Memorial stone? How often do you go there?" Manami interrupted.

"Why were you out in the storm in the first place?" Kushina questioned.

"What did she tell you? Did she say anything about coming back?" Gaara urged.

Shikamaru, getting annoyed with everyone's banter, stood up suddenly.

"WHAT A DRAG, EVERYONE BE QUIET AND LET HIM TALK!" he yelled.

 _Thank you, Shikamaru,_ Kakashi thought.

Before Kakashi could explain any further the sound of a door squeaking open echoed throughout the room. Everyone turned toward the noise.

Trying to send the person away, Kushina began to explain, "Sorry, we're closed for-"

As Koharu stepped through the door Kushina stopped mid sentence. _Speak of the devil._

Hearing Kushina stop mid sentence, Kakashi peeked around Minato to get a better look at the door. He was surprised to see that it was Koharu who was standing there.

 _Wow, she looks a lot better than when I talked to her at the memorial stone…_ he noted.

Manami was the first one to sprint toward her best friend.

"Koharu! What happened? Are you okay?" Manami grabbed onto Koharu's arms and began inspecting her for any injuries that could have happened on the mission.

Minato also went trotting over to where the pair was standing.

"Koharu, it's so nice to see you! We haven't seen you in weeks! Where have you been?" he asked.

Koharu glanced up at Minato before focusing on getting out of Manami's tight grip.

 _Where have I been? As if you don't know..._

The brunette struggled to wiggle out of Manami's hold, every time she moved around, her friend tightened her grip. "I'm fine Manami."

As Koharu finally freed herself from the concerned kunoichi, she looked up to see the whole host club was surrounding her.

Koharu stepped away from the group, suddenly feeling extremely claustrophobic, and put her hands up in surrender.

"I know you know I've been back for about a week. I'm sorry I've been avoiding everyone… The truth is after the way the mission ended, I was ashamed of myself for letting it fail. I couldn't bring myself to look at you guys. I needed to be alone to gather my thoughts. I'm sorry guys."

Koharu took a breath and smiled lightly, "On the bright side, I was able to figure out what really matters on missions…"

Koharu glanced at Kakashi, silently thanking him. The masked ninja caught her glance and met it with an eye smile.

Minato looked between the two and raised an eyebrow noticing the connection, but decided to ignore it.

"I'm just glad you came back in one piece!"

Sai blinked and cleared his throat, "Can't say the same about your teammate though."

The host club turned and glared at Sai, followed by a nervous glance toward Koharu.

 _Dammit Sai…_ Kakashi thought, _She just came back, can't you hold in any of your inconsiderate remarks._

Koharu remained still and collected, not showing any emotions that obviously still lingered.

Instead, a sweet smile stretched across her face as she looked at Sai. "Well I guess that's true, but if you don't watch out you might be joining him.…"

Sai gulped and looked back at Itachi, who in return just gave him a smirk and a shrug.

Manami moved to Koharu and grabbed her wrist, dragging her away from the rest of the group.

Koharu turned around, pleadingly making eye contact with Kakashi.

 _Please save me._

Kakashi turned away, trying to repress a chuckle.

As Manami dragged Koharu away from the group, Gaara leaned toward her, whispering to the honey haired girl as they passed each other.

"Go easy on her, Manami."

Manami finally released Koharu when they were out of earshot from the rest of the host club.

Koharu winced when she looked up and saw Manami's angry expression.

 _She is definitely going to kill me. The last time she lost her temper… Poor boy…. Poor me…_

Koharu slowly stepped back trying to put as much distance between Manami and herself as possible. She continued to step back until she felt her back hit something hard.

 _Please tell me that wasn't a wall._

Her stomach began to twist itself into knots as she realized there was no escape, and she was stuck facing her friend's wrath.

"W-wait Manami, just give me a second t-to explain!" Koharu stuttered.

Unexpectedly, Manami immediately enveloped Koharu into a big hug.

"I am so happy you are alright," Manami said as she squeezed her best friend.

Koharu sighed thinking she was off the hook, but when she started to put her arms up to hug her back, Manami's attitude dramatically changed.

"Koharu, do you know how worried I was? How could you be so insensitive?! Are you seriously telling me it took you _seven days_ to come back and see your best friend? You know I would have helped you!"

Manami continued to yell and scold Koharu for a while before finally calming down. She inhaled sharply and finally said, "I'm glad you're okay though."

Koharu's eyes softened and she pulled Manami into another hug.

"I'm so sorry Manami. I should have come to see you immediately. I don't know what I was thinking."

Manami backed away, allowing Koharu to pass her. However, before she could, Manami grabbed her arm and pulled her close again.

"And another thing… How come you saw Kakashi before you came and saw me? If there was anyone you would go and see besides me, I thought it would be Minato.…"

"Ha, well, I never intended to see him in the first place. I was at the memorial stone… They added his name… And Kakashi ran into me there."

Manami sighed and let go of Koharu's arm.

"I guess I can forgive you… As long as you don't let it happen again," she said before giving Koharu a smile.

"And get yelled at by you again? No thank you!"

Manami elbowed Koharu in the side, and the two laughed.

Kakashi turned his head toward the noise and smiled.

 _I'm glad Koharu has other people that care about her so much._

Kakashi turned back to his book, content with how everything worked out, while Koharu waltzed over to Shikamaru to begin a long awaited match.

* * *

A/N: Sai just has no remorse for what he says. Gotta love it. -Mio


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, sadly. I was the one who went to Paris and London. Paris has my heart forever. -Ritsu

* * *

In a few hours the host club had gotten back into the swing of things, and everything went back to normal again after Koharu returned.

That is, until there was a loud bang on the door that caused everyone to jump at the noise, instantly becoming aware of their surroundings.

Kakashi whipped his head around trying to figure out what the source all of the commotion was.

 _What the hell was that? That couldn't be…_ he thought. _It has been a few weeks…._

When a figure started to become visible, Kakashi realized that the particular person he had in mind had appeared to start a ruckus.

"Oh no.." he muttered to himself.

In an attempt to escape, Kakashi hurriedly began to head toward the window nearest to him to try to leap out.

Noticing his friend's attempt to flee, Gaara crossed his arms and turned toward Manami who was standing next to him.

"The host club is particularly dramatic today… and that is saying _a lot_ considering what we do," he noted.

Itachi began to walk up to the person who had noisily barged into the room, attempting to send them away.

"I think you guys are at the wrong school. Can I help you find where you need to go?"

The man ignored Itachi, puffed out his chest, and held up a thumbs up while smiling.

"WE ARE HERE TO RESTORE THE POWER OF YOUTH TO THIS SCHOOL!"

Recognizing the person who had invaded their afternoon, Minato smirked. He tossed his hair and sat down to watch the events that were about to unfold.

"Maito Gai… Welcome to the host club," Minato greeted.

Gai chose to ignore the leader and looked around the room. His head stopped when he found a particular member, and he began laughing.

"KAKASHI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLEE FROM THE POWER OF YOUTH!"

Kakashi, who already looked worn out, began to turn away from the window and made his way back to the center of the room.

"Gai… What are you doing here? And why did you bring your team?"

The tai-jutsu user closed the distance between him and Kakashi and hooked his arm around his shoulder.

"I am here to challenge you to one of our matches, Ka-ka-shi!"

By this time, everyone in the room had completely stopped what they're doing and started watching the exchange between the two. Half of the group had puzzled looks on their face, looking between each other for an explanation.

"Can someone tell me what purpose visiting this dump of school serves?" a boy with long hair asked.

Koharu turned her head to see three shinobi. One girl, who had multiple scrolls strapped to her belt, and two boys, the one that spoke, and another that looked exactly like Gai.

 _Who are they? And why does he look exactly like Gai?_ she wondered to herself.

"Gai, now isn't the time for one of your challenges. You need to-"

"Nonsense! It is always the time to test our power of youth! Especially when you feel like relaxing, Kakashi! This is the time to push yourself to the limits!"

Koharu cleared her throat. "So… who exactly are you?"

Kakashi sighed, sparing a glance toward the brunette. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Koharu…"

Before Kakashi could do anything else to help Koharu avoid an encounter she would regret, Gai spun around to face her, and quickly enveloped her in a bone crushing hug. He eagerly began to introduce himself to Koharu, as well as explaining the trials of youth.

As Gai rambled on, Koharu struggled to release herself from his grip.

"Gai, you really should release her before you cut off her circulation," Minato commented.

As soon as Koharu wormed her way out of the hug, Gai's lookalike popped up right in front of Koharu's face and started to introduce himself.

"I am Rock Lee, and these are my teammates Neji Hyuuga and Tenten!"

Lee pointed to the other two who looked very miserable in all of the chaos.

"I really don't see why we we're always dragged into things like this," Tenten muttered.

Neji glared at his teammates with a look of annoyance.

"This is a disgrace, I should be training so I can better my skills," he scoffed.

"But Neji, this IS training, according to Gai sensei!" Lee exclaimed.

Exasperated, Tenten threw her hands up in the air before letting them slam back down against her thighs.

"Ugh, Lee, why do you insist on calling him sensei?!"

Neji narrowed his eyes at Lee and nodded along to Tenten's question. "You really shouldn't believe everything he says."

Koharu stared at the group as they conversed, in awe at this dysfunctional team. She leaned over to Shikamaru standing next to her.

"Are they always like this?" she asked.

Shikamaru slowly nodded, not taking his eyes off of the group.

"Unfortunately," he grumbled.

Gai turned back to Kakashi, focusing on his original goal of coming to challenge him.

"For today's challenge, we should envelop ourselves in a youthful race around the village!"

Kakashi groaned and let out a deep breath. "Why can't we just do a nice and easy round of rock, paper, scissors, like usual?"

"That simply will not do, Kakashi! We need to put our speed to the test! I will not leave this school until you accept this duel!"

Kakashi sighed and put away his book.

"Fine," he muttered. "As long as you leave right after."

Manami tilted her head and turned to Koharu, crossing her arms. "Who the heck is this guy? He is waaaaay too enthusiastic, even for my taste!"

Gaara chuckled, overhearing Manami's comment.

"Is that even possible?" he questioned, turning to look at Manami with a goofy grin plastered on his face.

Manami elbowed Gaara, but smiled at him anyway.

Koharu raised an eyebrow at their exchange but turned away from the pair.

 _Hmm… I'm definitely going to have to ask Manami about that later_ …

* * *

A/N: Oh Gai… Friendship goals, to be honest. -Ritsu


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: If I had all the money in the world I would buy Naruto. But I don't. I spent all my money on books. -Yui

* * *

The group followed a bouncing Minato to the main gate where the race was set to start.

"OKAY GUYS! The race will begin on my mark! Whoever makes it to the Hokage monument first will officially be declared the winner!"

Gai sprinted up to the gate, yelling and encouraging Kakashi to catch up so they could begin the race. Kakashi slowly made his way to the gate, readying himself.

 _Minato, why are you so excited about this? …Why did I agree to this?_

Kakashi reached an arm across his chest, pulled on it with his other arm, and began to stretch it.

 _This is so embarrassing. I can't believe I have to do this in front of the host club… In front of Koharu…_

Kakashi shook his head and looked over at Gai, who was also warming up.

 _Maybe this won't be so bad…_ Kakashi reasoned.

"So what is your wager for this challenge, Gai?"

"If I lose, I'll do 10,000 pushups, and if I win, I'll do 20,000!"

Kakashi looked just as bored as he always did, but was secretly smiling at his friend.

 _Oh Gai…_. _If I remember correctly, we're tied up… I'm not planning on letting you pull ahead by winning this match._

Minato stood in front of the two shinobi. "Okay guys, you know the rules. You can start on the count of three."

Minato raised his right arm above his head. "3… 2...1…-"

"GO, YA KNOW!" Kushina finished.

Minato pouted and glanced over at the fiery redhead for interrupting his countdown. He grumbled something under his breath but then walked away, slightly disappointed his thunder was stolen from him.

At the starting cue, Gai and Kakashi took off in the direction of the monument, not hesitating at all. Spurred by the excitement, Lee began to race after them also.

"Lee! What are you doing?!" Tenten shouted after him.

"I am going to join Gai sensei in his race and build up my own skills! This is the time to push ourselves Tenten!"

Tenten rolled her eyes at Lee's enthusiasm and turned the other way to walk toward the group.

After Kakashi and Gai were a ways down the path, Minato used his Flying Thunder God jutsu to fly to the top of the Hokage monument so he could watch the race from the finish line.

The two rivals had been racing at about the same pace. Every once in awhile one would pull ahead, but it wouldn't last long.

As the host club was cheering, Koharu watched Kakashi intensely. Before she even knew what she was doing, Koharu found herself cheering for Kakashi, too.

"Go Kakashi! You can do it!" The brunette exclaimed.

The sudden outburst from their friend caused the rest of the group to turn their heads at Koharu. After seeing their confused faces, Koharu just simply shrugged.

"What? I can be supportive if I want to…" Koharu commented, hoping this excuse would be enough to end their curiosity.

Kakashi couldn't help but look back once he heard Koharu's voice cheering for him. The motivation caught him completely off guard.

 _Did Koharu just…?_

Gai took advantage of Kakashi's lack of focus and pulled ahead just as they neared the finish line.

"YES, THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH IS AHEAD OF YOU KA-KA-SHI!" Gai yelled, quickening his pace.

Minato watched intently as the two approached the finish line and got ready to see who would reach the monument first, because they were both quickly bolting toward him.

As Gai reached Minato, he leapt up and turned around to taunt Kakashi.

"THIS BREAKS OUR TIE KAKASHI! I'M THE WINNER! That makes the new score 51-50!"

Kakashi pulled out _Icha Icha_ and flipped to where he left off, looking completely uninterested as usual.

 _You don't have to rub it Gai, I know the score already._

The host club gathered around Kakashi and he looked up from his book noticing everyone still looked as chipper as always. As he looked around he caught Koharu staring at the book in his hands, before looking up at him and quickly turning away.

 _What is she thinking right now? I wasn't expecting her to cheer me on..._

* * *

A/N: Awwww, Koharu cheered on Kakashi, cuuuuttteeeeeee. -Your favorite, Yui.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I waited over seven years for Kakashi to be unmasked. If I owned Naruto he would never have a mask on, but sadly, we don't. -Mio

* * *

After another day at the host club, Koharu decided to stop by the library and pick up a book for her genjutsu class.

 _I don't understand why we have to get a whole book on such basic knowledge… It's not like anyone will actually read it._

Kakashi, who was also browsing the library, looked over and noticed Koharu running her finger over the spines of the books on the shelf. He watched as she crouched down and examined the shelf below the one she was just at.

Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets and waltzed up to Koharu, standing behind her and looking at the shelves in front of her.

"Looking for some more of the 'pervy books' you hate so much, Koharu? Well, I guess _hate_ isn't the right word, is it?"

Koharu shot up from the ground, extremely flustered, coming face to face with Kakashi.

"Keep it down will you?! People will hear you! And no, I'm not looking for a 'pervy book.' I'm looking for a book for my genjutsu class."

"You're such a nerd! I can't believe you actuall-" the copy ninja started, but stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened as he stared past Koharu's shoulder.

There he was: Jiraiya. The very Jiraiya that wrote his all time favorite series.

The brunette glanced over at Kakashi when he stopped talking and noticed his shocked face.

Amused by his out-of-character appearance, Koharu chuckled.

 _Finally, an expression that doesn't scream boredom!_

"What's the matter, Kakashi? Pakkun got your tongue?" she teased.

Kakashi didn't answer, so Koharu rolled her eyes and followed his line of sight. When she figured out who it was he was gaping at, her expression mirrored his.

 _Jiraiya? What are you doing back so soon?_

Before either of the two could react, Minato came running into the store and stopped in front of the man ahead of them.

Koharu, who was stuck in a trance because of her dad's sudden appearance, watched as the two engaged in a conversation. The two were both obviously excited to see each other, and they both visibly bounced off of what the other one said.

After watching for a while, Kakashi finally managed to speak up.

"Does he...? Is he...? Should I…? Is that Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked, stumbling over his words.

Annoyance replaced her shock as Koharu sighed, crossed her arms, and nodded at Kakashi.

Kakashi was completely unaware of who Jiraiya was to Koharu, and didn't notice her sudden shift in mood.

Finally making up his mind, Kakashi grabbed Koharu's hand and dragged her over with him to Minato and Jiraiya, despite her constant defiance.

The Sannin glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Koharu being tugged over to him by a man he had never seen before.

 _Koharu and… a boy? Can't say I'm surprised, she is my daughter afterall!_

Jiraiya cleared his throat, interrupting Minato's badgering.

"Say, Minato, who's the boy holding Koharu's hand? Are they… dating?"

Minato turned around to see Kakashi pulling Koharu up to them and chuckled. "Those two? There's no way they would ever be together, Master Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and gave Minato a questioning look, but shook his head and decided to take Minato's word for it. He put on his biggest smile as the two arrived in front of them.

Kakashi was still grasping onto Koharu's hand as he pulled her to a stop in front of Jiraiya. When Koharu realized he hadn't let go of her, she yanked her hand away from him.

Kakashi didn't notice the sudden jerk from his hand, as he had already started to introduce himself to Jiraiya.

"Master Jiraiya, it is so nice to meet you! I'm Kakashi Hatake. I _love_ your work, _Icha Icha_ is actually my favorite series ever."

As Kakashi rambled on, a smile spread wider across Jiraiya's face, and Minato draped an arm across Kakashi's shoulder.

"Kakashi, calm down a little! Jiraiya, he's a little excited right now, but I promise he's a good guy and an even better friend of mine."

The grey-haired ninja calmed down a little and gathered himself. "Sorry… I'm not usually like that. But I did mean what I said! You are one of the best writers out there!"

Koharu crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg, popping her hip.

"Please, he's nothing compared to the authors of the books I read," Koharu scoffed.

Kakashi and Minato both gasped at Koharu's criticism.

"KOHARU! I'M SO SORRY, JIRAIYA. I'M SURE SHE DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! WE BOTH LOVE YOUR WORK," Kakashi scolded.

Minato and Jiraiya both had the same thoughts and began to feed off of each other.

"W-what? Since when do you read his books, Koharu?" Minato asked.

"I-I never really intended for _you_ to read them," Jiraiya replied, beginning to feel uncomfortable and starting to blush.

Exasperated, Koharu ran her hands through her hair. "I have better places to be."

Koharu stormed off while mumbling to herself. "I wouldn't stoop so low as to read those horrendous books."

 _Ouch? Well, at least she doesn't read my books…_ Jiraiya thought.

"Anyways… what's your name again, kid?" he asked.

"Hatake, Kakashi Hatake!"

"Ahhh, so _you're_ the Kakashi Hatake I've heard so much about! I hear you're a pretty great ninja, and you've created quite the reputation for yourself, Kakashi of the Sharingan."

Kakashi looked down at the ground trying to hide his red face.

 _I can't believe Jiraiya thinks I'M a great ninja… ME! Kakashi!_

"Well kid, I have to run. Granny Tsunade is waiting on my report about some of the information I gathered while I was gone. I do want to continue talking, though. Why don't you and Minato come over to my house tonight for dinner? You can bring Kushina also, Minato."

As Jiraiya headed off, Minato turned to face Kakashi whose eyes had glazed over in excitement at the invite. Minato began to wave his hand in front of Kakashi's face, finally catching his attention.

"Kakashi… Kakashi… Kakashi! You okay there bud? I actually have to go, too. I've been over to his house often, so I know where he lives. Just come over to my place tonight, and we'll walk over together."

As Minato and Jiraiya both walked away from him, Kakashi smiled.

 _I cannot believe I get to have dinner with Jiraiya, and at HIS own house! Koharu will be so jealous when I tell her all about it tomorrow…_

Kakashi turned around and headed back toward the bookstore, pulling out the exact change needed to buy the collector's edition of _Icha Icha_.

As he walked through the doors he quietly mumbled to himself.

"One more wouldn't hurt, right?"

* * *

A/N: I honestly don't know why we picked Jiraiya to be Koharu's dad. I mean they are both book lovers and he writes books? -Mio


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, if we did Minato would sure as hell be alive. That's why he's such a main character here. I have a plush Minato doll that Yui gave me. -Ritsu

* * *

After Koharu left the library, she went home and headed straight to her room.

 _I need to calm down… I can't believe he would just show up unannounced. I just need time to myself._

She had been reading for several hours and was nearing the last few pages of her book. She heard Jiraiya come home awhile ago and figured he would come to see her at some point.

Koharu was completely oblivious to the fact that Jiraiya had invited people over for dinner and that they would be arriving soon.

The brunette heard her dad's footsteps get louder as he approached her room. She heard the sound of the wood creak from her doorframe as Jiraiya leaned against it. Koharu continued to read her book, while her dad stood there waiting for her to acknowledge him.

Koharu sighed and snapped her book shut. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah I was wondering if you'd help with dinner, we're having a few guests over tonight."

Koharu sighed and began to climb out of bed, complying to his request.

 _I'm sure it's another woman that's coming to help with his 'research.'_

The brunette made her way downstairs and walked into the kitchen, finding Jiraiya already setting out ingredients.

As they both cooked, side by side, Koharu looked over at her father and saw him softly smiling.

 _This is just like how it used to be… before mom…_

The Legendary Sanin began to brag to Koharu about how difficult his mission was, eager to have someone praise him.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're tired from the mission..." Koharu noted as she stirred the food in the pan.

"And it's the first time you've been home in months… yet you still invite people over," Koharu added under her breath.

Jiraiya sighed, "I know you're frustrated with my… constant absence… but I was hoping you would be more understanding of the cause.…"

Koharu turned her head, ready to add in a snide remark, when a voice echoed throughout the house.

"It smells good in here! You guys in the kitchen?" Minato shouted.

"Yeah, we're in the kitchen, Minato," Jiraiya called back.

Koharu relaxed when she realized it wasn't a random woman invading their home.

"Why didn't you tell me it was Minato? He's basically family anyways."

Koharu grabbed a teapot to fill it up with water and turned around to greet Minato.

"You really should knock Mina-" Koharu dropped the teapot in her hand as she saw an awestruck Kakashi on Minato's tail.

Everyone's eyes watched as the teapot crashed onto the ground, and a loud clash rang across the kitchen.

"W-WHAT THE HELL, DAD!" Koharu yelled.

Kakashi's eyes widened as soon as she heard Koharu call Jiraiya dad.

"DAD?" he spat out.

Watching Kakashi's reaction, Koharu's face paled as she realized she never actually told Kakashi that Jiraiya was her father.

 _He still doesn't know? After all this time… Wait, why is he looking at me like I just kicked a puppy?_

"YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO TELL ME HE WAS YOUR FATHER, KOHARU?"

Koharu put her hands up in defense, "It never came up… besides I just thought it was common knowledge. I mean, you're friends with Minato!"

Minato, who had previously been amused with the conversation, frowned as he was somehow pulled into it. He began to step back, trying to find Kushina to hide behind.

Kakashi shot a look toward Minato before continuing. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT NEVER CAME UP?! DO I NEED TO REMIND YOU OF MY HOSPITAL VISIT?!"

At this point, Jiraiya jumped in, zoning in on the fact Koharu was hospitalized.

"Hospital?! Why were you in the hospital, Koharu? I was never told! How did you even get out, I didn't sign anything!"

Minato scratched his head, and Kushina pulled Her boyfriend in front of herself once again.

"Yeah, how exactly did she get out? You never explained… one day she just showed up in the host club room on Sai's bird," she commented.

Jiraiya's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to keep up with the conversation.

 _What the hell is a host club? Who is Sai? I wasn't gone for that long, was I?_

"Well…" was all Koharu heard Minato say before she stormed out of the room.

 _I am SO done with everyone… I can't believe my dad invited Kakashi over! And NOW Minato is telling him about my little visit to the hospital? As if I didn't have enough on my plate!_

Kakashi's eyes followed Koharu as she stormed out of the room, clearly enraged. He began to feel a little guilty for his actions.

 _I probably shouldn't have yelled at her like that… I'll go and see if she's okay._

Kakashi excused himself from the rest of the crowd and made his way toward Koharu's room. On his way up he passed pictures of Koharu, Jiraiya, and a woman that looked a lot like Koharu.

 _That's probably her mother…_ he noted.

Kakashi knocked on Koharu's door out of politeness, but all he got in return was a grumble. Not wanting to wait anymore, he opened the door and let himself inside the room, shutting it behind him.

Once inside, he began scanning the room and took in every detail he was seeing for the first time.

He noticed Koharu had a few picture frames up in her room, most of which contained photos of herself and the woman he passed in the hall. The rest were pictures of her and Manami, and even a tiny one with the host club.

A couple of books were scattered on the floor, and there was a shelf packed full of the rest above her bed. Kakashi looked over and saw Koharu sitting on the corner of her bed, legs crossed, chin resting on the palm of her hand.

 _Here goes nothing…_

Kakashi walked over to her desk and leaned against the edge, facing Koharu. He waited for a moment before he actually got another response from her.

The brunette huffed."I never said you could come in," she mumbled.

"...Why?"

"What do you mean why? I didn't want you in here."

"No, why didn't you tell me Jiraiya was your dad?"

Koharu shifted uncomfortably under his strong gaze.

"I don't normally tell people about him..." she murmured.

Without skipping a beat, Kakashi stepped forward. "Okay, but why?"

Koharu sighed, not wanting to once again relive this story.

 _I guess it's only fair… he told me about his life after all._

She hesitated, but finally started explaining.

"He was never around growing up; I would only see him every few weeks. After my mother… passed away… the weeks grew into months. Since then, the months just keep expanding. I guess because I haven't actually seen him often enough, he's never really been a fatherly figure for me."

Kakashi silently nodded, not wanting to ask anymore questions that could trigger other hurtful memories.

Koharu exhaled and closed her eyes turning her head away from Kakashi.

 _That wasn't that bad… I guess._

The masked ninja watched Koharu before turning around to face her desk. He walked over and picked up her picture of the host club.

He glanced back at the brunette, who still had her head turned away from him.

 _Maybe I should lighten the mood. I hate it when she looks sad…_

"Look how good of a picture this is of me!"

Koharu scoffed. "Please, you can't even see your face. The only thing you had to do was make sure you didn't blink."

Kakashi gasped, pretending to be offended. He grabbed the picture, walked over to Koharu's bed, and took a seat. He held up the host club portrait to his face, copying the expression he had in the picture.

Koharu smiled and laughed at him. She reached over and shoved his arm playfully, making Kakashi fall. Using his forearms, he propped himself up and smirked.

Suddenly, Jiraiya opened the door, bursting into the room. When he saw the position Kakashi was laying in, he began shouting.

"WHAT IS THIS? YOU'VE READ MY BOOKS, KAKASHI! I DON'T NEED YOU BEING IN MY DAUGHTER'S ROOM ALONE!"

Kakashi immediately scrambled off the bed, both him and Koharu obviously blushing.

Koharu immediately began to explain, "I-It's not what y-you think!"

"R-Really, it wasn't! W-we were just…" Kakashi joined in attempting to back her up.

The two continued to stutter explanations, but Jiraiya cut them off and pointed at them.

"I want to see both of you, downstairs, in two minutes."

Jiraiya then stormed off, leaving Kakashi and Koharu extremely flustered.

After she was positive they were in the clear, Koharu relaxed and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.

"Of all times for him to start acting like a dad, he chooses now."

Kakashi sneered, his eyes falling on a little wooden shrine with a mat in front of it.

 _Is that…?_

Koharu stood as well and headed toward the door. She looked back to see if Kakashi was following her, but instead found him kneeling in front of her mother's shrine, smiling down at it.

 _What is he doing...?_

Before Koharu could open her mouth to ask just that, Kakashi spoke up.

"You look just like her, you know."

Koharu felt her heart stop and her breathing slow. There was a pause before she regained her composure, and she looked down at the picture he was holding.

"What are you doing, Kakashi?" she whispered.

The copy ninja put down the picture and turned his head back toward Koharu.

"I'm paying my respects to your mother," he replied.

Too shocked to say anything else, Koharu just nodded slightly. Kakashi got up, dusted himself off, and started heading out the door.

The kunoichi, still unable to find the will to move, zoned in on her mother's picture.

 _Why? Why is he being so nice?_

Her concentration was finally broken when Kakashi popped his head back in the doorway.

"You coming?" he asked.

Koharu shook her head and smiled at the picture before turning around. The two began to head downstairs to eat dinner and braced themselves to face Jiraiya. As they took their spots, the Sage made sure they didn't sit by each other and eyed the two throughout the rest of the meal.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was my idea. Even if you hate it, pretend it's fabulous. Very dear to my heart. ;) -Ritsu


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Hope you guys are ready for some jealous Koharu ;) oh btw, still don't own Naruto. If you haven't picked up on that. -Ur girl Yui

* * *

The following day, Manami and Koharu were lounging around at the host club while Koharu recounted the dinner party fiasco the night before.

"And then he just glared at us for the rest of the night! It was a disaster, Manami.

The medic nin chuckled at her friend and gave her a pat on the back.

"At least he didn't just kick him out," she replied.

The brunette leaned back against the couch and let out a sigh.

"I guess that's true… How has your day been?"

The honey-haired Kunoichi leaned forward and clasped her hands together.

"Well, actually, I'm glad you asked. You would not believe what happened in my ninjutsu class!"

As Manami rambled on about her day, a girl with blonde hair walked through the doors. Koharu had been visiting the host club enough to recognize most of the girls there, but she didn't think she had ever seen this girl before.

As if the new face wasn't already interesting enough, the blonde immediately made a beeline to Kakashi and took a seat next to him.

The green eyed ninja turned back to see her best friend still rambling on about something that happened in class.

"...And then the guy just jumped over all the desks and ran out of the room! It was crazy!"

 _This actually sounds like a good story, but there's a more important matter at hand._

Koharu looked back over at the blonde just in time to see her flip her hair as the masked ninja burst into laughter at whatever she had just said.

 _It couldn't have been that funny..._

"...But too bad after that I had to sit through genjutsu. It's sooo boring. Today, we only went over things ever-"

Koharu cut her off before she could talk any more.

"Manami, who is that?" she asked.

"Who?"

"That girl talking to Kakashi."

Manami smirked at her friend's curiosity. "What is this? Do I sense a little jealousy?"

Koharu began to stammer, trying to defend herself. "N-no! I've just never seen her before!"

Overhearing their conversation, Gaara walked over to Manami and took a seat.

"She's been coming here quite often lately, and she only ever requests Kakashi."

"Why don't you go find out who she is, Koharu?" Manami teased.

Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to investigate, Koharu rose out of her seat and walked over to the pair, who were still smiling at each other and chatting away. It wasn't until moments later that Kakashi even noticed Koharu was there.

"Oh hey, Koharu," Kakashi greeted, finally acknowledging her.

"Hey… who's your new friend?"

"Oh this is Sachiru. She's a good friend of mine and is in a few of my classes."

Sachiru giggled. "We're a little more than _friends,_ Kakashi!" She looked over to Koharu and smiled. "You must be Kowra! I think we have a class together this year!"

 _Stupid blonde…_

Narrowing her eyes at Sachiru, Koharu got a better look at her face, much to her disgust, and realized they did have a class together.

"Yes, we have weapons together. And it's pronounced Koharu..."

Koharu continued to narrow her eyes, slightly gritting her teeth.

 _Honestly how dumb is she? It's not that hard! Ko-ha-ru! No one else has had trouble…_

Kakashi cleared his throat after a small silence.

"Sachiru was just telling me about this new ramen place in the village. We were thinking about trying it."

"I thought you didn't like ramen, Kakashi," Koharu sneered.

"Well, it's been awhile since I've had it, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to try it again. Plus, having the same thing everyday is boring."

Koharu put her hands on her hips and gazed at Kakashi.

 _What's THAT suppose to mean?_

"Well I suppose that's true, but last time I suggested ramen you-"

Before Koharu could finish her thought, Sachiru stood up and interrupted her.

"Oh no, it's getting late! I have to get going now! See you tomorrow, _Kaka_."

As Sachiru walked away, she turned around and gave Kakashi a wink before heading out the door.

Koharu rolled her eyes and turned to face Kakashi again.

" _Kaka_? Since when have you ever gone by that?"

"Since Sachiru started calling me that," Kakashi replied in a daze, not looking away from the door.

Koharu's eye twitched a little, and she turned to walk away from Kakashi.

"'Since Sachiru started calling me that,'" Koharu mocked under her breath. She stalked off and crossed her arms in annoyance.

"What's so great about her anyways?" Koharu mumbled to herself.

* * *

A/N: UGHHHH WHO DOES THAT GIRL THINK SHE IS ?! Ok now I'm a lil jealous too, Koharu. Any of you guys pissed off at Sachiru bc me too :)) -YUIIIII


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but I do have 22 FIRST cousins. Family get togethers are so fun! -Mio

* * *

Throughout the entire week, Sachiru continued to visit and requested Kakashi every single day, but still had not managed to pronounce Koharu's name correctly even once.

One day, Koharu noticed that Sachiru hadn't shown up yet. She looked over to see Kakashi reading a note.

 _I have been really harsh on him lately… maybe I should go talk to him. It's not like_ _Sachiru is here to interrupt me…_

Koharu waltzed over to Kakashi and playfully tapped on his shoulder.

"Whatcha reading?"

Before Kakashi could answer, Koharu snatched the letter from his hands and began to read it herself.

" _Sorry I'm not here today Kaka… Hope I can see you and your cute smile soon! Don't miss me too much! -Anonymous"_

Koharu's smile quickly turned into a scowl. She turned to face Kakashi.

"Who gave you this?" she growled.

Flustered, Kakashi reached up to grab the note from Koharu. "It's from-"

"Actually, don't tell me. I don't care," the brunette snapped back. She tossed the note back over to him before Kakashi could take it from her.

The green eyed- girl spun around on her heel, leaving Kakashi alone. She decided she had had enough of the host club and quickly left.

Koharu couldn't figure out exactly why she was angry, but the thought of Kakashi with another girl made her furious. She couldn't help but think of the contents of the note.

" _Hope I can see you and your cute smile soon!"_

Koharu shook her head and tried to push the thoughts out of her mind.

 _Whatever… Who cares what they do?_

* * *

The next week, Koharu completely avoided Kakashi and hung out with Shikamaru and Itachi instead. Even when Kakashi approached her and tried to start a conversation, Koharu would just read her book or pretend not to hear him.

"I _know_ that book isn't that interesting, Koharu. I read it when our bags were switched."

 _Well I don't find you very interesting, Kakashi._

Koharu flipped the page, ignoring him completely. Kakashi sighed and turned away.

 _Why won't she talk to me? I don't know what I did, but I'm really starting to miss our little chats…_

* * *

One evening, Kakashi was walking in the village when he spotted a familiar figure turning a corner.

 _Koharu._

Kakashi chased after the shadow, trying to catch up to her. Finally getting close to her, he looked up to see they were at the ramen shop they had talked about a few weeks ago.

 _How ironic._

"Koharu!" he called.

 _Is she really still ignoring me?_

"Koharu, wait!"

The brunette glanced back and rolled her eyes, continuing to walk away from him. Not wanting to let her escape again, Kakashi sped up and quickly reached for her arm, trying to grip her in place.

"Kakashi _,_ you _need_ to stop grabbing my arm and just let me walk away!"

"I wouldn't have to grab your arm if you would listen to me when I try to talk to you," he countered.

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" Koharu yelled, anger quickly rising to her head.

Kakashi groaned in frustration, his voice rising as well.

"Why are you so angry with me? I haven't done anything to you, Koharu!"

"I'm sure your new girlfriend wouldn't like you holding my arm, _Kaka_."

Kakashi's eyes darkened, now furious. "Why would it matter to you if I'm seeing someone? It's none of your business and you have no right to get mad at me."

"Why don't you go chase after someone more important to you?"

Koharu huffed and turned away from him. However, before she could walk away, Kakashi pulled on the arm he was gripping and pinned her against the wall.

He repositioned himself, placed one hand beside her head, used the other to grasp her hip, and pushed his fingers in slightly. He took a step toward Koharu and closed the gap between them so she was stuck between the wall and his tense body.

Their faces were so close Koharu could feel every breath he took. Kakashi leaned his head forward to her ear and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Don't play games with me, Koharu. They never end well for me, _either."_

Koharu searched his eyes for the lazy shinobi she knew so well, but any hint of that was now gone and currently replaced with a dark gaze. She could feel his body tense as he studied how she responded to his movements.

The brunette then became aware of how tight Kakashi was gripping her hip, his fingers now digging into her skin. She glanced down at his hand.

 _That's going to bruise…_

Kakashi noticed Koharu's worried glance at his hand and closed his eyes to calm himself down. When the copy ninja opened his eyes again, he loosened his grip on her, carefully making sure he still kept his hand resting there.

 _There is no way I'm letting her get away from me… not right now._

After a few more seconds, Kakashi let out a breath. His eyes regained their glow and his muscles began to relax. A smirk began to grow across his masked face.

 _Damn that mask… It's so hard to tell what he's thinking…_ Koharu thought.

"Koharu…" Kakashi said quietly, his warm breath tickling her nose. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and continued, "What am I going to do with you?"

Koharu closed her eyes, enjoying how close they had become in the past few minutes.

 _How could I possibly think with him so close to me?_

When she was brave enough to open her eyes back up, she saw that Kakashi was already gone. He left her at the side of the building alone and trembling, the ghost of his hand still on her hip.

* * *

A/N: My favorite games are Monopoly, Pokemon, Mario Kart, I even played Toontown a little. I love playing games! -Mio


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but we do own this fic. Sometimes we would have disagreements about parts of the story line or silly details. Silly details like the color of Sora. I was pretty adamant on Sora being yellow, but they shut me down. I'm still team yellow, though. -Ritsu

* * *

In the following hours, Kakashi couldn't stop thinking about the encounter he had with Koharu.

 _What was I thinking? How could I have let myself get that close to her?_

Kakashi stood in the shower, analyzing his actions. He tried his best to wash off her smell, but nothing he did would get that scent out of his head. He couldn't figure out what could have caused him to act like that.

 _Why the hell did she even get so angry about me getting some stupid note? It shouldn't matter to her, and it's selfish to make me think she actually cares._

Kakashi slammed his fists against the shower wall, growing more frustrated by the second. He ran his hand through his hair and turned off the water before getting out of the shower.

"What's the point? This is useless."

The grey-haired ninja threw his hands up in frustration and reached for a towel. He picked up his dirty clothes off the ground, gritting his teeth as a new wave of Koharu's smell washed over him. Deep down, he knew it wasn't the brunette's floral aroma that was bugging him, but his own emotions.

Kakashi dried himself and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a tank. He knew he could try to sleep, but it would be pointless. Instead, he threw his mask back on, grabbed a light jacket, and headed out the door.

 _There's no way I can deal with this… With her… I have to get away tomorrow._

* * *

After a sleepless night, Kakashi was exhausted. He considered going to his class but knew if he didn't find a way to escape he would go insane. In the middle of his tracks, he turned around.

 _I said I was going to get away, and I'm going to. There's no one here to hold me back anyways._

The copy ninja passed some classmates in the hallway that waved to him, but he ignored them and kept walking to Tsunade's office. Kakashi knocked on the door before letting himself into her office.

"Kakashi? What are you doing here? Class is about to begin."

"I need a mission. Anything. Give me the hardest one you have and I'll do it," Kakashi said hurriedly.

Tsunade stared at the man confused for a few seconds but then looked down at the paperwork spread across her desk and smiled.

"Well you came at a good time, Kakashi. I'm swamped."

Tsunade began to look through several files on her desk, looking for the right one to give Kakashi.

 _Come on Tsunade, any of those will work. Just pick one already._

"Aha, here's one that has been on the waitlist for a while. I'll warn you though, it is a fairly long mission. You will be gone for a while."

"Perfect," he said.

 _The longer the better._

Tsunade eyed Kakashi, concerned about his sudden determination to leave. She decided not to question him and continued to explain the mission.

"Okay, then pack for a month. Your mission is to take down Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. He fled the village, officially warranting the title of a Rogue Ninja. To be honest, if one of them is out of the way, it'll make everyone's lives easier."

With that, Kakashi left the village, not mentioning a word about his departure to anyone. He wasn't in the mood for questions or confrontations. He just wanted to leave.

* * *

Koharu had been planning on confronting Kakashi the next day at school ever since he left her standing at the side of the ramen shop the night before. She recited her lines over and over in her head.

 _Hey Kakashi… about last night… I just wanted to apologize for getting so angry…_

The brunette let out a sigh and started walking toward Room 222.

 _Alright, Koharu, you can do this. It will be fine. You can face him._

The kunoichi put her hand on her hip, where Kakashi's hand had been the night before.

 _Well I was wrong, it didn't bruise._

Ready to face her fears, Koharu reached for the door handle and swung it open. When she searched the room for the familiar gray hair, however, she was met with disappointment. Kakashi was nowhere in sight.

Koharu swept the room one last time before making eye contact with a rather stressed out looking Minato who was standing in the corner, hands folded across his chest.

 _I can't tell if he's worried or furious… Either way he's going to kill Kakashi for showing up this late._

* * *

Back on the mission, Kakashi flew through the forest, keeping a quick pace. The farther he went, the more he regretted not telling anyone about leaving.

 _I should have at least told Minato, but he would have tried to persuade me out of this… Hopefully he'll understand when I get back and have the chance to explain…_

Kakashi paused on a branch before looking around and heading off in a slightly different direction.

 _And then there's Koharu… I still don't even know what to do about her. I shouldn't have left her alone at the shop. I didn't even check if I hurt her. If I hurt her…_

The ninja clenched his fist, taking in a sharp breath. _No, don't think about her. There's no time for emotions. I have a mission to do._

By the time he got to the Hidden Mist Village, he was so upset about everything that defeating his enemy was no trouble at all. However, the mission required him to spend a couple of weeks in the village to make sure the rest of the swordsmen didn't follow through and attack the civilians, so he found an inn he could stay at for the rest of the time.

* * *

Days passed, then a couple of weeks, but Kakashi was still nowhere to be seen. Minato had been trying to play it off like Kakashi was fine, but by this point, Minato had grown extremely worried and confessed to everyone that he had no idea where Kakashi disappeared to.

"What do you mean you don't know where he is, Minato?" Kushina asked.

"He never said anything to me about leaving. I figured he would only be gone for a few days at most, so I didn't make it seem like a big deal. Now I don't know what to think at all," Minato said, shifting uncomfortably.

Listening to the exchange, Koharu's thoughts were confirmed.

 _I knew it. It's because of what I said that night. If I would have just kept my thoughts to myself, none of this would have happened._

Koharu closed her eyes before opening them and restarting the page she was reading. While her eyes were floating across the page, her mind was somewhere else completely, and she hadn't paid attention to anything she had just read.

The brunette had shut down in the time Kakashi had been gone. She had become silent most days, focusing on her book. Occasionally she would hum along to appease Manami when she theorized about where Kakashi could be and what he could be doing.

The only pleasure Koharu was getting these days was telling Sachiru to leave when she came waltzing in looking for Kakashi.

"Oh… do you know when he will be back?" Sachiru asked.

"No, but we would appreciate it if you gave us some space. With Kakashi gone, things are already hard enough around here."

At this point, Sai walked up to the two girls, nodding along to Koharu's words.

"That's correct. If you are only here for Kakashi, we would much prefer it if you left. You're only taking up space."

Sai put on a big smile, thinking he was being genuine and helpful, but Sachiru thought otherwise. She huffed before spinning around on her heels and heading out the door.

Koharu turned her head away and tried to hold back a laugh at Sai's comment.

 _Well you're not wrong… You just said what we were all thinking._

"You know, Sai, I'm really warming up to you," Koharu said, grinning at him.

Sai opened his mouth to say something, but Koharu walked away before he could ruin the moment. She took a seat on the nearest couch and pulled out her book. As Koharu flipped through the pages trying to find where she left off, she thought about Kakashi, and how he left so suddenly without even telling Minato.

 _I don't know if I should be furious at him or worried… I mean he would tell someone if he was going on a long mission, wouldn't he?_

For the rest of the week, everyone in the host club was on edge, making the actual hosting very difficult for them. Every time the door opened, they hoped to see a sliver of grey hair walk through, but every time, they were always disappointed.

* * *

A/N: Kakashi, why do you just leave? Finally glad someone put that Sachiru in her place. -Ritsu


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Still no Naruto. Sora should have definitely been white. I have no idea why Ritsu thought a GIANT YELLOW BIRD would be a good idea? That's not a very intimidating ninja pet. Just sayin. TEAM WHITE BIRD! -Still your fave, Yui

* * *

One day after a particularly long and tiresome day at the host club, everyone decided it was a good idea to take a short break before cleaning up the mess in the room.

"What a day!" Kushina sighed, flopping herself down on the couch next to an exhausted Gaara.

"Yeah," the sand ninja added, "I don't remember the last time we were that busy."

"And it didn't help that we were down a member…" Itachi grumbled, taking a seat next to the two.

Minato walked over to the group that had formed and nodded. "If he doesn't show up soon, I-"

He stopped mid-sentence when the door to Room 222 squeaked open, and a flicker of grey hair appeared behind it. Everyone turned their heads and dropped their jaws at the sudden appearance of a worn out Kakashi.

Koharu looked up from her book, curious to see what the sudden silence was about. When she looked up, her heart stopped at the sight of a silver-haired ninja standing in the doorway. She felt a wave of relief wash over her to see him back, but anger quickly took over.

 _Is that really…? He's safe… but where the hell has he been for so long?_

Before anyone could react, Minato flashed straight over to the door, his blood beginning to boil. He grabbed ahold of Kakashi's collar and slammed him straight into the wall, knocking over a table and breaking a few teacups in the process.

"Kakashi Hatake, how DARE you leave without uttering a single word to anyone here?! A month, Kakashi. _A_ _MONTH!_ DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS?!"

The Yellow Flash paused to take a breath, trying to calm himself down. However, his attempt to restrain himself failed, and he pushed the masked shinobi further into the wall.

"Did you even stop to consider the feelings of anyone else in this damn club?! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! WHAT HAPPENED TO 'THOSE WHO PUT A MISSION BEFORE THEIR COMRADES ARE WORSE THAN SCUM?'"

Kakashi's eyes widened as his friend's harsh and very real words sank over him. Minato hit the wall behind him, causing him to flinch.

"DAMN IT, KAKASHI, I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOU RIGHT NOW!" he yelled, turning his head away from his friend.

It wasn't until now that the copy ninja realized the broken teacups had cut his leg when the angry ninja threw him. He looked down but didn't dare move.

The rest of the host club remained perfectly silent, partially because they wanted to hear Kakashi's answer, but mainly because they had never seen their president so angry.

Kakashi continued to stare at the Minato, whose arm was trembling as he gripped his shirt. He blinked, hoping that when he opened his eyes again, he wouldn't see his best friend in such a state.

 _He's so angry he's on the verge of tears,_ the pinned up thought. _I've never seen him this furious before… I knew I shouldn't have just taken off._

Kakashi tried to scan his brain for words, for anything, but he stood there speechless and frozen. Luckily, Minato finally released him while taking in a long breath.

"Well?" his yellow-haired friend asked quietly, looking at the ground.

The shameful shinobi stumbled forward, still completely off guard by this side of Minato.

Itachi cleared his throat. "Kakashi, I really think you should answer before _someone_ in here rips your head off... "

Minato turned around to look at the rest of the group who stared right back at him. He chuckled lightly and scratched his neck, then turned back to look back down at his friend leg.

"We should probably clean that cut. I'll go get something for it. I suggest you sit down and give us the explanation we deserve," he said, sarcastically smiling at Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded, obliging to his request, and took the only available spot left next to Koharu. He began to tell the group about his absence.

"I was gone for so long because I left on an S-rank mission, it-"

"Oh, are you sure that mission was _fitting_ for you? I think I could have found someone _better_ to replace you with," Koharu sneered, clearly angry with him as well.

Kakashi stiffened as he recognized his own words but remained silent. The host club looked between the two confused.

Shikamaru cleared his throat to try to continue the conversation. "So… why didn't you tell us you were leaving? Being worried was such a drag."

"I think it's because he's too invested in his own self to process other people's feelings… Even I understand this much about others," Sai chipped in.

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. Everyone else ignored Sai and turned back to Kakashi, awaiting an answer to Shikamaru's question.

"I'm sorry for not telling anyone. I didn't think about it because it was a spur of the moment thing, and there was something I needed to get my mind off of."

While saying this, he nervously glanced over to Koharu for a few seconds, but quickly looked away when he saw the rage still in her eyes.

After a couple more seconds of silence, Minato tossed a wet rag at Kakashi and tried to break the obvious tension in the room that he probably created.

"Clearly this entire situation has everyone troubled. We definitely need a break so everyone can relax and clear their minds. I say we take a weekend trip to the beach. What do you think?"

"YEEEEEEES!" Manami yelled, immediately hopping out of her seat.

Gaara feigned a small chuckle at his girlfriend and shook his head. Koharu mirrored Gaara's reaction toward her friend's outburst.

The honey-haired ninja pranced over to Koharu and grabbed her wrists, pulling her up.

"TIME TO PACK! I NEED YOUR HELP, KOHARU!"

When the suspense was lifted from the air, Kakashi shifted, finally realizing how rigid he had been the entire time. He bent down to wipe the dried blood off of his leg.

Everyone in the group began to chat as they exited the room, heading home to prepare for the upcoming beach trip. Kakashi figured everyone's distraction meant that he was in the clear. As he tried to leave and follow the group, Minato walked up to Kakashi and stopped right next to him. He turned to his masked friend, holding a very serious expression on his face.

The still angry ninja dropped his voice down to a whisper, so only Kakashi could hear him.

"Kakashi, don't _ever_ do that again."

Chills ran down his spine as he felt the coldness in Minato's words. As if nothing happened, Minato put back on a smile and sauntered out the door, leaving Kakashi standing there speechless once again.

 _I can't believe him… With that kind of power and control, he would make a perfect hokage._

* * *

A/N: I wouldn't mind being pinned up against the wall by Kakashi… ;) -Yui, Team White Bird captain, your favorite writer, honorary member of the host club, and Kakashi fangirl


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Disclaimer: THE DAMN BIRD IS BROWN! WHY DON'T YOU GUYS EVER LISTEN TO ME?! -Mio

...We don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Do you think this was a good idea?" Koharu asked Shikamaru as they laid under the shade.

Minato's idea of taking a weekend trip to the beach had come into play, and although the getaway was nice, the weather was causing them all to heat up.

 _It's so hot outside, and this sundress keeps clinging to me._

Shikamaru groaned and turned over onto his side. "Koharu, I'm trying to sleep. Isn't there anyone else on this beach you can annoy?"

"Ugh, Shikamaru, stop being _such a drag_. Manami is having a sandcastle competition with Gaara, who's obviously winning, and she's usually the one who keeps me entertained."

Koharu took another glance around the area to see what everyone was up to. She looked to her right and saw Sai working on another piece of art.

 _Of course he would be painting the scenery right now. Those waves are pretty good though._

She noticed Itachi, who wasn't too far behind Sai, watch him paint, occasionally gazing out into the waves.

"Minato, stop, ya know!"

Koharu turned her head to see Minato and Kushina laughing and splashing each other. Minato wrapped his arms around Kushina's waist as the two burst into another fit of laughter.

 _Why are they so cute? I wonder if one day I'll have a cute relationship like theirs… Preferably with- No, no, no. Stop it!_

Koharu turned over to face Shikamaru, and propped her head up on her hand.

"Nope, I don't have anyone else to annoy. It looks like you're the lucky host today graced with my presence!" Koharu teased, putting on a wide grin. "Shikamaru? Shikamaruuu?"

 _He's asleep? How did he fall asleep so quickly?!_

Deciding she wouldn't win this battle, Koharu turned away, quickly zoning into her own thoughts.

 _I haven't actually talked to Kakashi since he's come back. Come to think of it, he hasn't_

 _even looked at me since that night outside the Ramen shop._

Koharu looked to her left where Kakashi was and saw him throw on a shirt. He got up and walked away from the group.

"Actually, Shikamaru, there's something I need to do," she mumbled, talking more to herself than to the figure next to her.

When Koharu got up, Shikamaru shifted slightly. "That girl is such a drag sometimes…" he grumbled, then fell back asleep.

The brunette kept her eyes on the masked ninja and desperately tried to catch up to him. After trailing him for a bit, she called out to him.

"Kakashi? Where are you going?"

The silver-haired shinobi ignored her and continued to head to the cabin they were staying at. When he reached the door, Kakashi tried to open it, but Koharu caught up before he could.

"Kakashi!" she shouted, putting her hand on the door.

He whipped his head around. "What?"

The kunoichi winced at his sharp tone.

"Are you trying to get away from me?" She asked slowly.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone right now. Thanks."

Without saying anything else, Kakashi opened the door and slipped in, slamming it behind him. Koharu felt the blood rise to her face and followed in after him.

"How could you do this to me? You leave for a month without a word, after _that?_ And then, when you get back, you barely say anything to me, and spend your time trying to avoid me!" Koharu exclaimed, her voice getting louder with each word.

Kakashi ignored her shouts and walked toward the kitchen.

 _She's may be right, but I can't let her see that I'm bothered by this. Play it cool._

When he focused back into his surroundings, Kakashi noticed that Koharu had followed him into the kitchen, and was now standing right behind him.

 _That night was impulsive of me, but how am I supposed to explain that with her trailing me?_

He let out a short breath and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. He turned around to face the enraged shinobi.

"Do you want anything to dr-"

Kakashi's eyes widened as he spun around. He dropped the glass on the ground, shattering it, as he found himself inches away from Koharu's face.

"Damn," he muttered, kneeling down to pick up the pieces.

Koharu watched Kakashi and began to feel bad for being so persistent.

"...Here, let me help you," she offered.

They both moved around on the floor, beginning to clean up. They started to pick up fragments and place them on the counter, out of the way.

The two worked silently until they both reached for the same shard. Koharu's hand landed on Kakashi's and she slightly jumped.

The masked ninja stopped what he was doing and stared at Koharu's hand. She left her hand on top of Kakashi's, not noticing his hand had been pressing into the glass.

"Kakashi..." Koharu whispered, moving her hand. Eager, he looked up at his name.

"Your hand is bleeding."

Kakashi continued to look into Koharu's eyes, ignoring his hand.

"It's fine..." he replied quietly.

Slowly, Kakashi leaned toward her, his eyes scanning her face.

Koharu leaned in as well, lowering her voice even more.

"Why did you leave me here for so long?"

The copy ninja moved forward to close the distance between them.

"I couldn't bear to be around you if-"

Before Kakashi could finish his thought, a noise from their left startled them, and they turned to see the host club staring at the two.

Koharu and Kakashi flew apart, their backs hitting the counters on opposite ends.

* * *

A/N: This beach scene is probably my favorite KH KH moment, but I'm biased because it was my idea. It's tied with the Minato wall slam, which was also my idea ;)))))) -Mio


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but we did just graduate from the same high school. We all played instruments in our school's orchestra program. Mio and I played violin, and Yui played cello. -Ritsu

* * *

Minato crossed his arms and looked down at Kakashi, whose back was pressed against the counter on the floor.

"Well aren't you just full of surprises lately, Kakashi."

The copy ninja stuttered trying to come up with something to say, but nothing formed in his mind.

Itachi scoffed at his friend and held back an amused smile. "You've been doing a lot of stumbling over words, Kakashi. Is there something you want to tell us?"

"Is this what you had to take care of, Koharu? What's going on between you two?" Shikamaru questioned.

Kakashi's head swiveled around the room, looking from Koharu to Minato to the rest of the host club.

"When… when did you guys get here?" Koharu asked nervously.

Manami tapped her foot, annoyed at Koharu and the scene that just unfolded.

"Well, right about the time you and Kakashi were getting real comfy on the floor. Am I missing something here, Koharu? Something you forgot to tell your best friend, huh?"

Manami crossed her arms and Gaara glanced over at her. He elbowed her, trying to get her to lighten up a bit, but Manami continued to glare.

Noticing blood had started to drip from Kakashi's hand, Sai spoke up, desperate for an opportunity to intervene.

"I think your hand is bleeding Kakashi. You're not suppose to have contact with others where you have open wounds."

Kakashi stood up completely flustered, and reached for a towel on the counter. He turned quickly, trying to exit the room, only to see he was trapped with no escape.

Seeing that the pair desperately needed some time to sort things out, Kushina tried to usher away the curiosity of the group.

"I think we need to give these two some space, ya know!"

Everyone continued to stare at Koharu and Kakashi, not wanting to leave without an explanation.

"NOW!' Kushina yelled.

The sharp command from his girlfriend caused Minato's hair to stand, and he decided to sprint out of the room before having to endure more of her wrath. The host club decided it would be smart to follow him out.

Kushina smiled when the room was empty and cleared her throat.

"The floor's all yours," the redhead said before flipping her hair over her shoulder and exiting.

Kakashi looked down at his hand and noticed the cloth had started to turn red from the cut. He turned back around to the sink and started to rinse the wound while Koharu finished cleaning up the remaining glass.

 _What did just happen… Was I going to kiss her?_

Koharu cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence that has developed.

"Was… there something you were saying before the party came in?" she asked cautiously.

Kakashi opened his mouth to respond to the question, but the pain in his hand caused him to wince. He sighed frustrated and lifted his hand closer to his face to look to see if a piece of glass was hidden somewhere in the cut.

Koharu approached him and asked softly, "May I see?"

Hesitantly, Kakashi brought his hand away from his face. He turned around to face the green-eyed girl and extended his hand toward her.

Trying to examine the cut, the brunette gently grabbed his hand, noticing how warm they were.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Kakashi stared at Koharu's hands cleaning his own wounded one and slowly began to speak up.

"It wasn't your fault… any of it."

Koharu looked up from his hand, her eyes meeting his. A smile spread across her face and Kakashi soon mirrored it.

The kunoichi focused back down on his hand and finally found what she had been looking for. She carefully pulled out a small shard of the glass and set it on the counter. "There you go, Kakashi. It shouldn't hurt anymore."

Koharu wiped the remaining dried blood off of his hand and let his hand drop.

"I'm glad I foun-" Koharu started, but was cut off by Kakashi embracing her in a hug.

"Thank you, Koharu."

Koharu was shocked by this gesture but soon returned the hug.

"We should probably be more careful next time… We can't afford to let you keep getting injured."

Kakashi gave a small chuckle and released Koharu.

"I've missed you," he said quietly.

Koharu smiled at Kakashi and put a hand on his shoulder. "I've missed you, too."

Looking into her eyes, Kakashi felt a new emotion emerging within him.

 _When was the last time someone cared for me like this?_

Kakashi shook his head, realizing the thoughts forming in his head were dangerous ones to be playing with. He looked out the window and saw the host club setting up sand volleyball on the beach.

"Why don't we go join them?" Koharu suggested.

Kakashi shoved his hands into his swimsuit pockets and Koharu lead the way outside.

* * *

"Oh, here they come!" Manami exclaimed.

"Do _not_ ask them about what happened, do you understand?" Kushina scolded the group.

Minato groaned, frustrated by his curiosity. "But Kushina! Don't you want to know?"

"Do it and you won't live to see tomorrow," she replied through gritted teeth.

Minato's eyes widened and he stood a little taller. "You heard her host club, don't say a word."

He turned his head away from Kushina and whispered so she couldn't hear.

"But that doesn't mean we can't tease them a little," he said with a wink.

Koharu walked toward the group, with Kakashi right beside her. "So have you guys picked teams yet?"

"Yeah, we were thinking you two could form a couples team with Kushina and me," Minato teased, trying to hold in a laugh.

Kakashi turned away from the group and made his way over to the shaded area, pulling out _Icha Icha._ "Actually I'm gonna sit this one out."

Koharu scoffed at Minato's comment and pulled out her own classic to read, joining Shikamaru and Kakashi in the shade.

As the game began, Koharu found herself observing the group instead of reading her book. She couldn't help but watch everyone laughing and having a good time.

 _I can't believe how lucky I've become. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world._

Koharu smiled to herself and looked back down at her book, taking her eyes away from the people she could easily call her family.

* * *

A/N: The beginning dialogue and sass is my favorite. Ugh, I love writing sassy and witty things. I like to think it's because it's where I truly shine. ;) -Ritsu


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Naruto = Not ours. I met Ritsu in 7th grade & Mio in 9th grade. Ritsu and I are basically the same person, and Mio likes to pretend she hates me but I know she loves MEEEE! -Yui

* * *

Sitting in class, Kakashi wearily stared at the wall as his teacher rambled on and on about different types of weapons to use in different situations. He sighed and shook his head, trying to keep himself awake.

 _As much of a mess the beach getaway was, I would choose that over this class any day._

Kakashi glanced up at the clock and began to tap his fingers on the desk, hoping more than five minutes had passed since the last time he checked the time.

 _This class is never going to end! Please let there be a distraction or something so I can leave._

As if someone had read his mind, a knock came at the door and the entire class turned their heads as Minato poked his head into the room.

"Sorry to disturb, but could I please borrow Kakashi Hatake for a moment? Lady Tsunade needs to visit with him and said it's very urgent."

The teacher nodded and glanced toward Kakashi, who was already packing his bag up. As the teacher started up his lecture again, the copy ninja rushed out of the room.

Outside, Kakashi turned to his friend, seriousness etched across his face.

"Do you know what this is about?" he asked.

"No, I was just sent a pass to come get you and head straight there," the blonde replied.

"I hope everything is okay…" Kakashi trailed off.

The two then walked in silence to Tsunade's office, both pondering what this could be about.

When the duo neared Tsunade's office, they saw Itachi leaning against the wall.

Itachi looked up to see the pair walking up and chuckled. The Uchiha pushed himself off the wall, "So this is who I'll be working with?"

"Why are we here, Itachi?" Minato asked, as he and Kakashi come to a stop in front of the door.

Itachi opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Tsunade opened the door, hearing the chatter outside her office.

"You boys come on in, we have a lot to discuss."

The three exchanged looks before walking into her office. Tsunade sat behind her desk and rested her head on her hands, narrowing her eyes at the group in front of her.

"Well there's no easy way to phrase this, especially considering how close you guys are to…"

Tsunade cleared her throat and pushed off of her desk, leaning back in her chair. "You guys are familiar with a group called the Akatsuki?"

The three nodded, not sure where she was going with this.

"Well… Master Jiraiya has been doing some more research on the group and has recently contacted me about their next plan of action. It looks like they're going after the jinchuriki."

Minato abruptly looked up from the floor, realizing what Lady Tsunade was trying to say to them.

"Kushina. They're coming for Kushina." Minato growled as he clenched his fist.

Itachi glanced toward Minato, "Let's not forget about Gaara, Minato."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, they need to capture all of them for a purpose we haven't uncovered yet, but for some reason they want to start from the top and work their way down. That means that Kushina is our top priority as of now."

As Itachi attempted to calm Minato down, Kakashi cleared his throat.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to do with this information?"

"As of right now, I needed to make you all aware of the situation. Keep watch of Kushina and make sure nothing suspicious happens in the village."

Kakashi and Itachi nodded and Minato's eyes narrowed.

"Minato, are you going to be able to handle this?" Tsunade asked, noticing his mood.

"There's no one more suited than myself." Minato stood up and started walking toward the door.

Tsunade looked over at Kakashi and Itachi for confirmation, who both nodded and started to follow Minato to the door.

Kakashi looked at Tsunade as they were walking away, "Itachi and I will make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

The three walked out of her office and naturally started walking toward Room 222.

"We should probably tell the rest of the group about this, right?" Kakashi asked.

Itachi nodded. "Yeah, Gaara should know about this, too."

Kakashi sighed, "I'll meet up with you guys later, I'm gonna head over and visit the memorial stone."

Minato and Itachi nodded, "We'll tell the group."

Kakashi began to walk the other way as the pair opened the door and entered Room 222.

"Minato! Itachi! We were beginning to wonder where you guys have been," Manami greeted.

Minato and Itachi both waved at the group and began to head toward them.

"Sorry guys. Lady Tsunade had to meet with us and Kakashi so we've been with her," Minato said.

"Then where is Kakashi?" Koharu asked.

Itachi smirked, "Why are you so interested, Koharu?"

"Whatever… never mind. What did she say?"

"Well…" Minato hesitated and glanced around the room. When he saw that Kushina wasn't there he let out a breath and continued.

"She told us that the organization called the Akatsuki is trying to capture the jinchuriki, but we don't know why."

Gaara leaped up, "Why would she tell you guys that?"

"Don't worry, the Akatsuki are going to start from the top, so you're not in any immediate danger," Itachi explained, taking a seat.

"What do you mean 'immediate danger?' I am the top!" Gaara began to panic.

"No, Gaara, you're the last one. Calm down," Minato sighed.

"Wait… why would Gaara be in danger in the first place? Is there something I don't know," Manami asked as she worriedly looked around.

"Uhh…" Gaara trailed off, as the rest of the host club stared at him.

"So anyways, that means that Kushina is their current target," Minato told the group.

"That's good that Kushina is their top target, I don't know if Gaara could handle them like she could," Sai said.

Gaara turned to Sai. "WHAT? What do you mean I couldn't handle them?!"

"Hello? Can someone tell me what's going on?" Manami questioned further.

Gaara reached over and gently squeezed Manami's hand.

"I will tell you later, Manami," the redhead whispered.

"Well that being said, no one mention this to Kushina. The three of us were told to make sure nothing happens to her, and Lady Tsunade didn't want us to tell people," Minato continued.

Manami, who is still confused, asked, "Wait, why are they going after Kushina?"

"Well you've heard of the Akatsuki? They're going after jinchuuriki. I'm assuming that's where you're lost? A jinchuuriki is a person who hosts one of the nine tailed beasts. Kushina is the host to the nine-tailed fox, therefore, the Akatsuki would target her first."

"So people are able to have demons in them? That must suck," Manami concluded.

Gaara looked down and took a big gulp.

 _Yeah, I'm definitely gonna have to tell her later._

Minato scratched his head, "Actually I think I'm going to go tell Kakashi not to mention anything to Kushina, too. Just to be safe. If you need me I'll be at the memorial stone."

* * *

"Obito… There's so much that has been going on lately. Where do I even begin?" Kakashi took a pause and tried to gather his thoughts.

"Remember that girl I told you about? She was here with me not too long ago, actually. Well, one thing led to another and… well… I think I'm falling for her."

Kakashi let out a long sigh before continuing.

"Recently we went to the beach together and things got… interesting. We got into a bit of a fight, and I dropped some glass while we were trying to work things out. When we started cleaning up the glass, she put her hand on mine and I felt, I don't know, sparks? Whatever it was, I have never felt anything like it… is that what love feels like?"

"Anyways on a more… professional note…"

* * *

 _So the nine-tails really is in this village… It's about time those Akatsuki idiots finally did something right._

Tobi shifted in the tree he was eavesdropping from, but did it softly so Kakashi wouldn't catch him there.

 _Now, Kakashi, how do I find out who the jinchuuriki is?_

Tobi looked back over to the stone, noticing that another figure had appeared next to his old grey-haired friend.

 _Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash of Konoha. Maybe I'll get my answer now._

Tobi listened intently and tried to pick up the distant conversation.

"Hey, Minato," Kakashi greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you could use some company," Minato smiled.

The grey-haired ninja looked up at his friend. "Shouldn't you be watching Kushina?"

"I asked Itachi to look after her right now, but I'm heading home soon..." Minato said.

Kakashi put a hand on his friend's shoulder and tried to ease his worry. "I know Kushina's the one in danger, but this is just as hard for you too, Minato."

Minato sighed and turned to face the ground. "I know, I know… It's just, when I start thinking about the future, I can't help but be afraid. We've been together for a long time, and we've talked about starting a family before when the time is right. I was already afraid that the nine-tails would weaken her if she ever got pregnant, but now there's this also."

"Yeah… that makes sense… But umm… you're not… She's not pregnant is she?" Kakashi asked nervously.

"What are you even talking about Kakashi? Were you even listening? Of course she's not. I said when the time is right and we're in high school, stupid."

Kakashi laughed and began to stand up. "Sorry, sorry. I got nervous for a second."

Tobi lept away from his spot in the tree and began to look for a place to get a plan together.

 _So Kushina is the nine-tails then? This is all too easy really._

Minato and Kakashi both went their separate ways from the memorial stone. As Minato walked home he passed Tobi who was sitting above him. Tobi began to follow Minato, leaving just enough of a distance between the two so Minato wouldn't notice his presence.

 _Perfect timing Minato, thanks._

Tobi shortened the distance between the two and threw a kunai at Minato, engaging the two in battle.

* * *

A/N: That awk moment when Gaara hasn't told Manami he's a jinchuriki… I LOVE MY LITTLE BBY GAARA! oh & I h8 Tobi : ( -Y u i


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: The first thing that Yui told me when I met her was that she used to have skin cancer. Now we're writing a fic together, but we don't own Naruto. -Mio

* * *

After everyone dispersed from the host club meeting, Koharu couldn't shake the anxious feeling she had for her friends. She was wandering around the village not paying attention to where she was going and found herself at the training grounds, which was actually pretty busy. She walked to a secluded area in the forest, wanting to train alone where people wouldn't be able to see what she was practicing.

Koharu bit her thumb, ran through a few familiar hand signs, and summoned one of her more appropriate sized birds, Hiko. The bird began to fly around, waiting to hear why he was summoned.

"Alright, I should actually complete this Freezing Wind Jutsu if I want it to be useful to me, and not put me in the hospital."

Koharu readied herself and took in a breath.

"Okay, Hiko, try to avoid this attack!"

They began practicing and the kunoichi began to change parts of the jutsu to make it more effective. After several hours of training and modification, both her and Hiko were exhausted.

"Okay just one more time. I think I have it, I just want to do it one more time to make sure. After that, you're dismissed."

Koharu ran through the hand sign and finally managed to catch the bird freezing it in its path. She smirked, satisfied with finally mastering the jutsu. The brunette canceled the jutsu, letting the bird free. A few seconds later the bird disappeared, happy to be out of the jutsu and eager to go back home.

 _Finally, the jutsu is complete. That took forever, and now I'm completely exhausted._

"Hmm, now where have I seen that jutsu before?" a voice called from behind.

Koharu spun around to see a smug-looking Kakashi leaned up against a tree.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked.

"I came here after Minato and I left the memorial stone. I was training with Pakkun nearby and he said he smelled another summoning animal, so I came to check it out."

Koharu nodded in response and stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"So what exactly is that jutsu of yours? It packed a pretty powerful punch last time," Kakashi asked remembering their fight.

"Just a little something I'm working on… How are you guys holding up?" Koharu asked.

"I'm doing okay, but Minato was still pretty apprehensive at the memorial stone."

The brunette stood there quietly for a moment and looked away from Kakashi.

"What's the matter?" Kakashi stepped closer, concern laced in his voice.

"Oh nothing… It's just that I've known Kushina for a long time and I would hate it if anything happened to her. She's like an older sister to me. Also, the Akatsuki doesn't sound like they would be a walk in the park to face, and I don't know what I would do if…" Koharu trailed off. "If anything happened to you while you're on guard."

The grey-haired ninja walked over to her and grabbed her chin, making her look him in the eyes.

"Nothing is going to happen, Koharu. Besides, I can't miss your 18th birthday, right?"

The green-eyed girl laughed. "If you end up with even a scratch on you, I will find you and kill you myself."

Kakashi smiled and pulled Koharu into a hug. "Whatever, Koharu, you're all talk."

"Alright, come back hurt and see what happens!" Koharu pulled out of the hug and playfully pushed him.

The copy ninja chuckled as Koharu yawned and stretched out her arms. "I'm gonna go Kakashi. I'm beat after fixing this stupid jutsu. But really, I mean it… Be careful."

Kakashi nodded and began to walk toward Koharu's house. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

* * *

Manami made her way to Gaara's house, her hands full with a bouquet of flowers.

 _I really hope he likes these… Oh no what if he doesn't, or worse, WHAT IF HE'S ALLERGIC? Okay no, you need to calm down Manami, he'll love them._

The blue-eyed girl reached his door and took a deep breath.

 _Here goes nothing..._

Manami knocked, and not a second later, the redhead opened the door and welcomed her with a smile. Noticing the flowers, Gaara pointed to them, "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"There's nothing wrong with getting my favorite host club member a little gift," Manami replied nonchalantly.

Gaara let her in and took the flowers off her hands.

"So I'm your favorite host club member, huh?"

Manami walked over and sat herself down on the couch as the sand shinobi made his way into the kitchen to get something to hold the flowers.

"Well none of the other members welcomed me the way you did, _Gaara._ "

Gaara's face turned bright red as he quickly scrambled around to find a vase. Manami let out a chuckle.

 _I bet his face is as red as his hair right about now._

"So, why'd you ask me to come over?" Manami questioned, smiling.

Gaara heavily sighed as he plopped himself down on the couch, making the honey-haired girl's smile disappear.

Manami placed her hand on his back. "Are you okay, Gaara?"

Gaara turned toward Manami, weakly smiling. "There's… something I need to tell you…"

The medic nin inched closer to Gaara as he closed his eyes.

"Well… you know how earlier we were talking about Kushina, and how she is a jinchuuriki, and that she has a demon inside her?"

Manami hummed, urging Gaara to continue. Gaara turned his head away from Manami.

"I do too. I'm like Kushina. The only difference is that my… uhh… tailed beast is less powerful because he has one tail. His name is Shukaku, and he prevents me from sleeping at night. Sometimes I get lucky and sleep for a few hours, but that is very rare."

The redhead paused before continuing. "I understand if you don't want to be around me now, so you can leave if you want."

Gaara began to get up but Manami grabbed his hand and pulled him back down to the couch. She smacked him on the head before he could do anything else.

"Is that all? Geez, Gaara, don't scare me like that! I thought you were gonna say _you_ didn't want to see _me_ anymore, or something!"

The sand shinobi rubbed his head and turned to face Manami again. "So... you don't mind that I'm a demon?"

"Well for starters, you're not a demon. But of course I don't mind, you idiot."

Gaara stared at the girl in front of him in awe.

 _No one has ever been this accepting of me. The only other people who have welcomed me this way are the host club guys. She really is something else._

"You really are something, Manami," the redhead voiced aloud.

The kunoichi rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Tell me something I don't know," she said with a wink.

As Manami got up from the couch, Gaara stood and turned her toward him.

"Oh, and Manami…."

Before Manami could move, Gaara pulled her closer to him and kissed her softly.

"If I didn't want to see you anymore, I wouldn't have done that."

The blue-eyed girl smiled widely, actually speechless for once. Gaara and Manami spent the rest of the night talking and laughing, having a good time, and saying how they hope the guys stay safe.

"I think Kakashi, Itachi, and Minato can handle themselves," Gaara reassured.

Manami sighed. "I know they can… I just can't help but worry…"

The redhead pulled Manami into a hug and placed his head on top of hers.

After a while the honey-haired girl spoke up again. "I should get going… I want to be home just in case anything happens…."

Manami stood up, stretched and walked toward the door, Gaara at her heel.

The sand ninja pulled Manami into one last hug and lowered his voice. "Be safe walking home, okay?"

The kunoichi nodded and pulled away from the hug. "I'll see you later, Gaara"

Manami closed the door and walked away, smiling ear to ear.

 _I can't wait to tell Koharu all about what just happened_ , Manami thought to herself.

After Manami left, Gaara walked to his room and hopped into bed. For the first time in a long, long time, Gaara was able to get a good night's sleep.

* * *

A/N: Ritsu thinks Hiko is a canary. Yui and Mio think that's a dumb idea and that it should be a hummingbird. What do YOU think? -Mio


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, or even the skills to create something that magnificent. I do really like to yell songs, especially when I drive. Too bad I'm a horrible singer. -Ritsu

* * *

"Goodnight Koharu," Kakashi said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Koharu leaned against her door and smiled back at Kakashi. "Thanks for walking me home. Be careful tonight on your watch."

Kakashi chuckled, turning around, "And if I'm not you're going to kill me, right?"

"Well I almost did once, so it wouldn't be that hard anyways," Koharu smirked.

Kakashi turned around and smiled back at Koharu through grinning eyes. "Yeah, but I know your tricks now."

The brunette scoffed as the man in front of her, and then turned back around and began walking home.

 _I'll be careful Koharu, don't worry._

* * *

As Kakashi ambled on to his apartment, he heard the loud and familiar clanging of metal. He turned toward the sound of the unmistakable groan of the Yellow Flash.

 _Damn, I shouldn't have left him alone!_

Kakashi's slow pace quickly turned into a run as he followed the noise. Soon he found himself nearing the memorial stone, where he saw Minato last.

Just as he arrived at the site, he saw Minato throw his three-pronged kunai across the battle scene toward a mysterious masked man. Seconds later, a flash of yellow and blue appeared at the location of the marker as Minato tried to hit the man with his rasengan.

"MINATO! What the hell is going on here?!" Kakashi yelled.

The masked ninja began to fire up his lightning blade, preparing himself to help Minato who was fighting head-on with the anonymous man.

"This guy attacked me as soon as you left and started asking me questions about Kushina! I've held him off so far, but he has a jutsu that allows physical attacks to pass through his body."

 _How has no one else come for back up? How am I the first one here?_ Kakashi wondered.

The silver-haired shinobi narrowed his eyes and deactivated his Raikiri. "Well then this won't do much..."

Kakashi took his friend's side and faced the enemy, "Are you a member of the Akatsuki?"

The masked man laughed before leaping at them, "I'm not a member, I'm their _leader._ "

Kakashi quickly rolled out of the way as Minato flashed behind him. "You know who we are then, right? I'm Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, and this is Kakashi Hatake the Copy Ninja!"

The man began to run through quick hand signs. Kakashi took the opportunity and copied the man's actions as rapidly as his enemy was creating the jutsu.

"Fire Style: Giant Fireball Jutsu!" they both yelled.

The two balls collided, canceling the other one out.

"Minato, that's an Uchiha jutsu… And for one that strong…. Who are you?"

* * *

Tobi sighed. _Damn it Kakashi, I should have never given you that eye. It's too late, I can't handle both of them at the same time. Not with the amount of chakra I have left…_

"My name isn't important. I'm no one."

"What does that mean?" Minato flashed in front of him, standing next to Kakashi.

"There are two types of pain in this world, pain that hurts you, and pain that changes you. My name carries with it a certain pain, but for now it can only hurt you, not change you."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and looked over at Minato, who was equally confused.

Tobi rotated his arms around his body and began to disappear. "I'm afraid I have to go now. I have a feeling we'll meet again."

* * *

"He just disappeared? What the hell was he spouting at the end? What does that mean? If he lays a hand on Kushina…. "

Kakashi looked at Minato as he deactivated his sharingan. "Who knows what he was saying. What did he ask about Kushina, Minato?"

"He was trying to figure out her location, but of course I didn't give him any clues. He sure as hell better not be heading anywhere near her right now. Kakashi, I need to go home before anything worse happens."

"Yeah, go home. Keep an eye on Kushina. Itachi and I will help guard the village's borders tonight, just to make sure."

Minato nodded and turned around to run home.

 _I swear, I'm not gonna let anything happen to Kushina. I'll protect her with my life._

* * *

Kakashi sat on a nearby tree branch looking outside toward one of the side entrances to the village. He tried to stay focused but kept thinking about the encounter with the masked Akatsuki.

 _How could he do an Uchiha jutsu with that much strength? I can't think of any Uchihas who have left the village, and neither could Itachi…_

Before Kakashi could think any further of the matter, he felt a strong chakra approach again. It was the same chakra from earlier.

"Not again," he muttered.

In the tree across from him, Tobi re-appeared and settled himself on one of the branches.

"We can make this simple and you can tell me where the nine-tails is, or you can face your own death. The Yellow Flash isn't here to help you now. It's your choice," voiced the masked man.

"No one in this village would tell you where Kushina is, and I'll have to take a rain check on my 'death.' I'm afraid there's an important birthday coming up I'm not allowed to miss."

 _It must be that girl who he was rambling on about to "me" at the memorial stone... Rin would be crushed._

"Have it your way then, Kakashi. Hope you aren't still tired from our battle earlier."

* * *

 _I can't sleep knowing Kushina is in danger!_ Minato thought as he laid in bed.

The Yellow Flash rolled over and looked at the red hair sprawled across Kushina's pillow.

 _I can't stand this anymore._

Minato rolled out of bed and shuffled out of the room down the hall and into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and turned on the sink, filling it up with water.

He leaned against the counter and sighed. As the cool glass touched his lips he felt a chill run down his spine. Minato narrowed his eyes and sat down his glass. He quickly knelt and placed his fingers on the ground trying to find where the masked man's chakra was coming from.

After a few seconds Minato hopped up and ran to the door. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his weapons pouch and ran outside.

 _I gotta find Kakashi! The masked man is back!_

* * *

As the battle between Kakashi and Tobi continued, both parties began to weaken.

 _Damn, if this battle isn't over soon I'm going to run out of chakra. I need to get the timing right in my attacks._

As Tobi passed him to his right, Kakashi quickly wove hand signs to try to hit him again. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Do you really think that jutsu would work on an Uchiha? You may have the sharingan, but learn your limits," Tobi sneered.

 _Nothing I do works! I've got to come up with something,_ Kakashi mused, trying not to waste any more time.

"Just give me the location of the nine-tails and we can end this now. You come out of this with no scratches, isn't that what she wanted?"

 _How the hell would he know that? How does he even know about Koharu?_

With newfound energy and in one last attempt, Kakashi fired up his chidori and began to charge toward the man.

Tobi chuckled and shook his head. "Okay, then. If you won't tell me, there's only one other thing I can do."

As Kakashi neared him with his lightning blade, Tobi quickly evaporated and absorbed the jutsu. Before Kakashi could turn around and react, Tobi appeared right behind him.

Tobi started to reach out his hand for Kakashi's head in a final attempt to get information out of him.

"Absorption Soul Technique."

Kakashi closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack, but when he didn't feel anything on him his eyes flew back open.

"MINATO!" Kakashi screamed.

As he took the blow himself, the yellow-haired man came eye to eye with Kakashi.

"Just in time…" muttered Minato before he collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

A/N: Before the Tobi arc, we had something worse. Believe it or not, this is a huge improvement. We almost did the Six Paths of Pain and Minato couldn't beat a single one but Kakashi and Itachi took down five LOL. -Ritsu


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Disclaimer: What was the first anime you guys ever saw? Mine was Dragon Ball Z, and my brother and I would watch it EVERYDAY. I just finished Tokyo Ghoul, and I'm watching Deadman Wonderland. Fairy Tail was another favorite of mine, along with Death Note, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, K-On, and a million others. Oh and Naruto. Love Naruto. Still don't own it. -Yui (I introduced her to anime and got her addicted besides DBZ so she should thank me. -Mio)

* * *

"Minato? Minato! Why would you do this?! DAMN IT, I WAS READY TO TAKE IT!"

Kakashi quickly sank to the ground and lifted up Minato, whose eyes were closed.

"Please, please, please wake up," he said quietly.

Kakashi checked for a pulse and was relieved when he found a faint, erratic heartbeat. To his surprise, Minato slowly began waking up but could barely keep his eyes open.

Hearing the commotion, Itachi looked over to where Kakashi was stationed.

 _What's going on? I better get over there. It sounds bad._

The Uchiha activated his sharingan and sprinted through the trees. When he finally arrived at the scene, he saw Kakashi holding a limp and nearly lifeless blonde man.

"KAKASHI! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" yelled Itachi as he ran over to the pair on the ground.

"The Akatsuki leader is here; he has a mask on that revealed one sharingan underneath. I didn-"

"That's enough," Itachi cut Kakashi off and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again his Mangekyo replaced his previous sharingan. The Uchiha began to scan around the area for the masked man that was described to him.

 _Kakashi said he had the sharingan, which means he's family. This is personal._

Itachi continued to scan and search for any sign of the enemy, until his eyes finally caught a glimpse of a moving figure in the trees.

"Are you done with the love fest? Save your energy, Itachi Uchiha. I have the information I need, so you don't need to waste your time on me," the figure called out from afar.

Pulling out several shuriken, Itachi threw them all at the man with incredible speed and perfect accuracy to the major vital points. Tobi stood completely still letting all of the weapons travel right through him.

"You may have the information you need but I don't. Who are you? You're an Uchiha, but as far as I know, no one from our clan has deflected from the village."

Seeing that Itachi wasn't going to let up, Tobi started firing back attacks of his own. Soon, the two began a full-on battle.

Kakashi looked back down at his friend and felt an unsettling wave of grief and protectiveness wash over his body.

"Minato, I am so sorry. That was supposed to be-"

"Stop apologizing," whispered Minato so softly Kakashi could barely hear. His voice was hoarse, and Kakashi could tell it was taking the last of his willpower to speak.

"But-" the copy ninja tried to talk once more but was again interrupted.

"I don't want to hear it. Just make sure they don't lay a hand on Kushina, okay? Promise me."

Before Kakashi could respond, Minato passed out and his body and skin slowly began losing heat.

 _Dammit no, no, no. Not you too Minato… Please._

"Minato! Wake up! You can't fall asleep in the state you're in! MINATO!"

Itachi leaped away from the masked man long enough to glance over at his friends.

 _Damn it Kakashi, now is NOT the time to freak out, Minato's life depends on us._

"KAKASHI! Stop yelling his name like an idiot and make yourself useful! You can either help me fight this guy, or take Minato to the damn hospital. But whatever you choose, DO IT QUICKLY."

The grey-haired ninja willed himself to look away from his friend and stood up to help Itachi.

"I promise they won't hurt Kushina, Minato," Kakashi whispered before he walked away.

Kakashi walked up to his friend and reopened his sharingan eye. "I'll be a distraction if you go for the main attacks."

"So it's the battle of the sharingans, eh? Well then, let's see which one of us has mastered it the best," sneered Tobi.

Itachi smirked and nodded at Kakashi giving him the signal to make his first move. "Then let's play."

Kakashi ran toward Tobi, pulling a kunai out of his pouch. As he got closer to Tobi he charged the blade with his lightning chakra, which created sparks that danced around the knife. The shinobi released the knife which, of course, went right through Tobi.

As the Lightning Blade traveled through Tobi, Itachi attacked Tobi with Amaterasu, setting Tobi's left shoulder ablaze.

Seeing his attack work, Itachi couldn't help holding back a sneer. "I thought physical attacks didn't work, or is my eye just stronger than yours?"

Tobi tried to remain calm and focused all of his energy on trying to put out this fire before it consumed him.

Kakashi charged up his Chidori as quickly as he could and sprinted toward Tobi one final time. Finally canceling the black flames with his own sharingan, Tobi took a deep breath.

 _I can't keep fighting like this. Their sharingans outnumber mine, even if one of them is my own. He's mastered it well._

Tobi slowly disappeared in a swirling motion just as Kakashi's Chidori was about to be lodged through his heart. The same way he watched his teammate fall.

When he saw that his target was gone, Kakashi pulled himself to a stop. "What? Where did he go? How the hell did he get away?"

Itachi closed his eyes, upset the man left without answering any of his questions. "It's like he recognized the sound of your Lightning Blade and disappeared.…"

Kakashi quickly turned back around to his friend who was still on the ground. Noticing how much paler he looked, the masked ninja's heart sped up.

"We better get Minato to the hospital… He's lost a lot of blood."

The pair hurriedly ran over to Minato, who was doing worse with every second that passed. Itachi picked up his body off the grass and rapidly began heading off toward the hospital.

As they raced to the hospital Kakashi continued to replay the events prior to Itachi's arrival.

 _How could I have been so reckless? If I had just been more careful none of this would have happened,_ Kakashi chided to himself.

Pushing himself off a tree, Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair.

 _Minato shouldn't be the one who was injured, it should have been me. He hurt himself protecting me. It's all my fault. If he doesn't make it… I don't know what I'll do._

Kakashi glanced at Minato before quickly turning away, trying to hold back any sign of a teary eye.

"Come on, Itachi. We have to hurry."

* * *

A/N: MINATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -a crying Yui


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but you should listen to the song Wasn't Expecting That by Jamie Lawson. We discovered it when we saw Ed Sheeran in concert. Reminds me of KH KH ;) -Mio

* * *

Koharu sat in the hospital's lobby chatting with Manami about her date with Gaara. It had been a pretty slow night, so her honey-haired friend had called her down to the hospital to update her.

"I mean I didn't know he was a janmuriki… Did you Koharu?"

The stifled a laugh at the clueless kunoichi state of oblivion. "Jin-chur-iki, Manami. You're saying it wrong. And what do you mean you didn't know? That's why it was such a big deal when he left Suna."

"I guess that explains the dark circles under his eyes too…."

Koharu knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well he said that-"

Before Manami could finish her thought, there was a loud commotion coming from the front of the hospital. Koharu turned her head toward the noise to see what what going on.

"What the he-"

Her question was answered before she could even get it out when she saw Kakashi and Itachi rushing toward the doors with Minato in arm. As soon as they stepped foot in the hospital, Koharu shot out of her seat and ran over to them.

Manami's eyes widened before her instincts took over. She rushed off to go get help from other medic nin. Koharu could hear her green eyed friend's feet fading away as she ran off to go get help but couldn't take her eyes off of Minato in Itachi's arms.

The brunette finally swung her head in Kakashi's direction and stared him straight in the eyes. "What the hell happened to him?!"

The masked ninja broke away from Koharu's gaze and looked down at Minato but remained silent. She never got the chance to push for more answers, because Manami and a few other medic nin came running into the room.

"I need a stretcher and an operating room cleared out STAT! Someone find Lady Tsunade and tell her there's an emergency at the hospital," Manami ordered, a fierce look in her eyes.

The nurses quickly retrieved Minato from Itachi and carefully laid him down on the stretcher. They rushed him off down the hallway and into the closest operating room.

Koharu opened her mouth, "Manami, you hav-"

"I know, Koharu. I'll do everything I can to save him. He's my friend, too." Manami ran down the hallway, continuing to bark orders until she got into the operation room.

 _Please, Manami. Please don't let him die._

Koharu turned back once again to the other two with her and started demanding an answer once more. "Can someone please tell me what the heck happened?"

Kakashi was still staring at the floor and had not moved an inch. Without answering Koharu's question once again, he turned and quickly walked out the front.

Itachi watched Kakashi leave and shook his head. "I can't exactly explain everything that happened… When I showed up to the battle site Minato was already on the ground. He took a nasty hit from Tobi, one of the men after Kushina. I don't know exactly what it was, but if it put someone like _him_ in that state… I can't imagine what it would have done to anyone else."

Koharu stood in shock, and for once, had nothing to say. _This has to be a dream._

There was a small silence but Itachi continued to speak after a while. "Anyways… the only person that really knows what happened is Kakashi, but he's probably beating himself up about it right now."

As much as she wanted to be angry at someone right now, she knew she couldn't be mad at Kakashi. After all, it was this Tobi guy that started the trouble.

Koharu sighed and nodded at Itachi's short explanation. As she began to comprehend what was happening, a realization crossed her mind, and her stomach dropped.

"I need to tell Kushina."

Itachi nodded and started walking toward the exit. "Yes, and I should probably go find Kakashi because we need to notify the rest of the host club about this tomorrow. We all need a better explanation so I'm gonna have to force him to at least come with me."

Koharu pinched the bridge of her nose. _I didn't even think about the host club. How is Itachi going to explain all this? Minato would know what to do…_

"Good luck, Itachi," Koharu mumbled before he walked out the door.

Itachi closed his eyes and continued to wander off in search of Kakashi.

 _Good luck to you, too, Koharu._

* * *

The next day, Kakashi and Itachi walked to Room 222 after class to break the news to the rest of the boys. When they opened the door, Gaara, Shikamaru, and Sai were cleaning up after what looked like was another busy session.

Shikamaru glanced up from the Shogi game he was picking up and looked at the two by the door. "It's about time people showed up. Where has everyone been? Where's Minato? It was super busy today and things have been a drag without him here keeping us in check."

There was a pause before Itachi cleared his throat. "Why don't you guys take a seat for a moment? There's been a bit of an… incident that we need to talk about."

Kakashi felt his stomach churn when he saw the trio's faces pale as they slowly took a seat. Itachi and Kakashi joined them, readying themselves to break the news.

He took a deep breath. "Well, as you know, the three of us decided the best way to help protect Kushina was to help guard the entrances to the village. I told Mina-"

Kakashi's voice cracked and he paused, looking down at his hands. _Damn it, pull yourself together. They need to know what happened, and you're the only one who can tell them._

He cleared his throat and tried again.

"I told Minato that Itachi and I would guard last night, and he was to stay with Kushina. When Tobi showed, I should have called Itachi over right then, but I thought I could handle him on my own. After a long time of trying different attacks, nothing worked… I decided to try my Lightning Blade one more time. I got too close to him when he attacked… I couldn't move out of the way in time and before I knew it he…. he-"

His voice cracked again, and he ran his fingers through his hair as he shook his head. Itachi reached over and placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, indicating that he would finish the story. The copy ninja gratefully nodded his head in understandment and let out a long breath.

"Kakashi was prepared to take the attack, but Minato flashed in front of him at the last second and took the entire impact. Kakashi said he couldn't remember the name of the jutsu but it was something like 'Soul Absorption.'"

Sai narrowed his eyes, "You mean 'Absorption Soul Technique.' When I was in the foundation we were taught about that jutsu. The justus caster gets ahold of the victim's soul and sucks it out, gaining whatever information that person had in them… There's no way he could have taken that and survived."

"Wait… are you saying Minato is… dead?" Gaara asked nervously.

Itachi shook his head, "He was alive when we took him to the hospital. Unless something changed, he's still alive."

Sai nodded, "Incredible. No one comes out of that alive… good for him."

The host club remained silent, trying to take in everything they just heard.

 _They've never been this quiet before… But I guess it is always Minato that makes the most noise._

Shikamaru shook his head and broke the silence. "This just doesn't add up… I mean it's Minato we're talking about here. I've never seen anyone take him down so easily."

Sai opened up his mouth to say something, but for the first time, remained silent. Gaara closed his eyes, trying to comprehend the situation.

Itachi sighed, and broke the silence yet again. "Like I said, Minato is in the hospital and Koharu told Kushina, presumably. They're both probably in the waiting room. Manami was the one who took him into the operating room when we arrived late last night."

"Manami's a great medical ninja, so at least we know he's in good hands," Gaara added.

There's another pause, letting everyone gather their thoughts.

Choosing his words carefully, Sai spoke up again. "I just still don't get it… How come you and Kakashi got out alright?"

Itachi opened his mouth to answer, but before he could Kakashi stood up and balled his fists.

"IT WAS MY OWN DAMN FAULT, OKAY, SAI? IF YOU WANT TO BLAME ANYONE BLAME ME! I KNOW I ALREADY DO!"

Kakashi lowered his voice, looking at the ground.

"It should be me in that hospital bed.. Not Minato."

Feeling the tears welling up in his eyes, Kakashi abruptly turned and stormed out of the room. The rest of the boys sat in complete silence, clearly shaken up and upset by the situation.

Finally, Itachi let out a small breath. "We should go to the hospital and check up on the girls. They probably need our support."

The three boys nodded and quietly got up from their seats. Somberly, they began heading to the hospital, not knowing what to expect when they got there.

* * *

A/N: My poor baby Kakashi I just want to give him a hug all the time. -Mio


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. But I do know American Sign Language, and wear glasses/contacts because I'm hella blind. -Ritsu (I'm more blind than you are. -Mio)

* * *

When the four arrived at the hospital, they walked into the waiting room and saw a distraught looking Koharu sitting near the door Minato was behind. In the corner of the room, Kushina sat alone, her face clearly depicting her lack of sleep.

 _They look exhausted, but I bet we don't look any better,_ Itachi thought as he walked over to join them.

"Any update on how he is doing?" Gaara asked.

"They are trying their best, but Manami says he hasn't been very responsive… We aren't allowed to see him while they're working," Koharu said looking up at the group.

The group turned to look at Kushina, who was turned away from everyone. Her usual fiery demeanor was nowhere to be found.

Koharu turned in the redhead's direction and sighed. _She hasn't said anything since we got to the hospital… not a word._

Seeing that Kushina still was not in a state to be bothered with, Koharu turned back to the boys.

"I can't believe this is happening. Minato has always been like family to me, and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to him. Even Jiraiya stopped by for a little bit to check on him."

Itachi nodded and sat down next to her. "Minato has done more for all of us than anyone could know… We are all shaken up by this."

Everyone remained silent, lost in their own thoughts. Gaara cleared his throat, getting the group's attention.

"Itachi is right. When I got to this village I didn't know if I would be able to get the new start I wanted. My old village always hated me… even my own parents. Everyone scorned me my whole life, so I learned to live alone, only loving myself. I had never had a friend before I met Minato. He was the first person that didn't look at me with disgust or contempt. Through this club, I met people… the people I call my family. He taught me friendship, and more importantly, how to love other people…"

Gaara paused and thought of Manami, someone he was able to meet through Minato. A tiny smile crept onto his face before he returned to seriousness and continued his thought.

"That's a lesson I can never repay him back for."

Sai sighed. "I guess we all rely on him more than we realized. Before I enrolled in Konoha High, I was a member of the elite ROOT foundation where I was raised from my childhood. However, at the end of my time there, I was pitted against someone I considered a brother to me. Unfortunately, only one of us was allowed to live... He sacrificed himself for me. After that, I didn't think I could continue in the ROOT, so I took my leave. When I entered Konoha High Minato sought me out and befriended me, not caring about who I was in the ROOT and insisted I wasn't to be blamed."

Shikamaru nodded along to the others' comments and began speaking of his own experiences with Minato.

"All of this really is a drag, but Minato helped me after Asuma, my mentor and best friend, died. When he reached out to me about starting this club, I thought it was going to be a joke but I decided, why not? Turns out, it wasn't so troublesome after all."

Without missing a beat, Itachi continued on with his story.

"Minato reached out to me after my best friend Shisui died. He was like a brother to me, a brother I didn't really have because Sasuke loathed me after being compared to me so much. I was highly depressed at the time and who knows where I would be if Minato didn't find me when he did."

Koharu looked away from the group and wiped away the tears that had started forming in her eyes.

"Minato has been there for me my entire life, especially when my dad wasn't. After my mom died, I didn't have a reason to live. It was like the only light in my life was blown out, and I lost myself. I just repeated the same routine everyday, not caring if I lived or died. Minato saved me. Without him, I would've grown up alone, not knowing what it felt like to be cared for. Minato made me laugh when I was sad and calmed me down when I was angry. I.. I…" Koharu trailed off.

After all this time, Kushina finally spoke up and everyone turned to see steady tears rolling down her face.

Not really speaking to anyone directly she said quietly, "I can't believe there's nothing I can do. He's my other half. Without him, I don't know if I can go on. Without him… I wouldn't want to."

A second later, Kushina broke down, sobs racking her body. Itachi slowly stood and sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. The host club sat silently and watched Kushina, thinking over the stories everyone had just told.

After a few minutes, a thought crossed Koharu's mind.

"What about Kakashi? Where is he?"

The Uchiha looked up, still comforting Kushina. "He stormed off earlier after we told the rest of the guys… I haven't seen him since."

Koharu was about to push further on the matter but suddenly Manami ran into the

waiting room. The entire group stood up at once and looked at the medic ninja expectantly.

Manami stood in front of the group and sighed, looking completely exhausted. She looked at all of them and smiled.

"He's gonna be okay!"

Kushina yelped and ran over to the honey-haired girl, enveloping her in a giant hug. When she finally calmed down and composed herself, she turned to the group and smiled slyly.

"Now… How many of you knew about this _mission_?" she demanded through gritted teeth, her hair floating higher and higher every second.

The guys looked around at each other, slowly stepping away from the raging redhead.

Saving the boys from more of Kushina's wrath, a beat-up looking Kakashi walked through the doors, hands in his pockets.

"Where the hell have you been, Kakashi?" Koharu asked, storming up to him.

Looking bored as always, Kakashi met Koharu's eyes. "Training."

Kushina paraded up to the masked ninja and stood centimeters from his face, clearly not happy with him.

"So you mean your best friend in the WHOLE DAMN WORLD was on the brink of death and you were TRAINING?"

The redhead's voice rose with every word as anger radiated off of her. Kakashi stood, straight-faced, not moving a muscle.

Cautiously, Itachi walked up to Kushina and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's been a rough night… for all of us. Maybe we should go home and get some rest."

Kushina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped back from Kakashi. When she opened her eyes she nodded toward Itachi. She looked back at the door Minato was behind before walking away.

The rest of the host club filed out behind Kushina. Koharu looked at Kakashi, who still hadn't moved since Kushina yelled at him.

 _What's wrong with him… and why is he covered in cuts?_

She sighed and continued out the door, deciding to get some sleep and save her worries for the morning.

With everyone gone, Kakashi finally let out a breath and looked inside the window of Minato's door.

 _Minato… I'm so sorry._

* * *

A/N: I cried writing Minato in the hospital. -Ritsu


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Disclaimer: HOLYYYYY SHIT THE NEW HARRY POTTER BOOK (The Cursed Child) JUST CAME OUT AND I BOUGHT IT AND I AM SO EXCITED TO READ IT AHAHAA THANK YOU HALF PRICED BOOKS. Oh & I don't own Naruto. Neither does Mio. Or Ritsu. -YYuuii

* * *

The next day the host club visited the hospital in the morning to check up on Minato again. To their surprise, the nurses said that visitors were finally allowed for the first time since the accident.

Everyone entered the room slowly and quietly in case Minato was still asleep. As the door creaked open they saw that the blonde still looked pretty worn out, but turned at the sound of the door. Almost instantly, all the sleepiness that Minato had was wiped away when he saw his friends, and replaced by a warm smile.

As soon as Kushina saw her boyfriend's bright smile she ran up to him and embraced him in the biggest hug she'd ever given him. She couldn't help but let a few tears escape from her eyes.

Minato attempted to hug his girlfriend back but winced a little from how hard she was squeezing him.

"Kushina… Kushina… You're hurting me… Could you maybe loosen your hold a little?" he pleaded.

The redhead pulled back, but immediately started to scorn him now that she was completely sure he was okay.

"MINATO NAMIKAZE, IT IS A MIRACLE I DON'T KILL YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD RISK YOUR LIFE TO DO SOMETHING SO STUPID. IF YOU EVER-"

Minato grabbed Kushina and kissed her, trying to silence her yelling. "I wouldn't do it for anyone but you, and I would do it again if I had to."

The redhead genuinely smiled for the first time since Minato's hospitalization, and he returned the smile.

 _I can't even imagine how worried she's been… yet here she is, sleep deprived and smiling. That's my Kushina for you!_

Minato looked behind Kushina and chuckled at everyone's faces. "Sorry I forgot about you guys for a moment… Whenever I'm with Kushina I feel like we're the only two people in the world."

Shikamaru looked away from the two and scratched his neck. "Don't be so cheesy, it's troublesome."

The group all laughed and surrounded Minato, each taking turns hugging him.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Minato!" Koharu smiled as she pulled back from her hug.

"Of course I'm okay! You're looking at _the_ President of the Konoha High School Host Club here, Minato Namikaze!"

Sai furrowed his eyebrows. "I still don't remember electing you as president."

Minato was about to argue, but suddenly realized there was someone missing from the group surrounding him. He frowned and turned to Itachi.

"Where's Kakashi? I knew I was one hug short."

The rest of the group turned to Itachi for an answer, which made him shift uncomfortably.

 _Why am I always the one explaining and telling the stories? Everyone else was there, they all saw what happened. Yet here I am, once again, the storyteller._

Itachi let out a breath and explained to Minato about Kakashi's outbursts and strange behavior since they told the host club about the incident.

"He kept saying 'It should be me in the hospital bed,'" Shikamaru added wistfully.

Minato heavily sighed and closed his eyes.

"Damn it, Kakashi, when will you learn that not all of your comrades' injuries are your fault?" he asked sadly under his breath.

Koharu glanced back at Minato, having heard what he said under his breath.

 _That sounds like what he told me at the memorial stone. I didn't even think about that… Of course that's why he's been in a weird mood._

Minato tried to sit up but Manami quickly stopped him.

"Woah there, take it easy. If you move and injure yourself even more, Lady Tsunade will _not_ heal you again."

Sweatdrops began forming on Minato's forehead and he put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay, okay. Sounds like someone has been taking 'scare Minato lessons' from Kushina."

"I don't need any lessons, I'm pretty well versed in that subject," Manami retorted, rolling her eyes.

Kushina winked at Minato, glad to see he was still acting like his normal self, too. She got up and put a hand on Manami's shoulder.

"Don't worry Manami, I'll stay with him today and make sure he doesn't move around too much. You've probably seen enough of him the past few days anyways. Me on the other hand…."

Catching onto what Kushina was saying the host club all smiled at the two, and filed out after saying their goodbyes to Minato.

Manami was the first to make her way out, leaving to go check on her other patients. She turned back and pointed at Gaara. "And I'll see _you_ on my lunch break."

The medic nin added a wink at the end, just to ensure that he was caught blushing in front of everyone else. Gaara smiled and put his hands in his pockets.

As the rest of the group walked out of the hospital and made their way to Room 222, Koharu stopped behind them and remembered there was something she had to do.

"Hey... I'll catch up with you guys later. There's something I need to take care of."

* * *

A/N: Tbh I love Manami and Gaara. But I also just love Gaara. And Kakashi. And Minato. Itachi. Shikamaru. Sai. And Naruto, even tho he's not in this fic. I LOVE THEM ALL -Yui


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Disclaimer: The three of us (who don't own Naruto) became friends while decorating a Christmas door at our school! Well, I'd say they latched themselves onto me and I've just never been able to escape since :-) -Mio

* * *

Koharu made her way into a nearby forest, where she saw Kakashi training last. As she approached the spot, she heard a loud and angry voice yelling in the distance.

"DAMN IT!" the all too familiar voice yelled over what sounded like thousands of chirping birds.

 _Well, that's definitely who I'm looking for._

Koharu continued walking toward the sound of the birds and finally saw who she was looking for. He had his chidori charged, and surrounding him were hundreds of destroyed dummies.

 _He looks exhausted… And if I didn't know any better I'd say he's out of chakra. I guess this is why he was so beat up yesterday._

"Kakashi, what are you doing?" Koharu called out.

Panting, the copy ninja turned to see the person talking to him but whipped back around and started attacking more of the dummies next to him.

"Get out of here, Koharu. I don't want you near me when I'm like this."

 _I should have known he would be this reclusive._

Koharu stepped forward and scoffed, "I don't think you get to tell me what to do, and you don't look like you should be alone right now."

The Shinobi shook his head, but deactivated his chidori for the time being. "I'm always alone Koharu, just leave me be."

The brunette took another step in Kakashi's direction. "You'll never be alone as long as I'm around."

Kakashi turned around to face her completely, and by the look on his face, Koharu fully expected him to yell at her again.

 _Just remember, he's in a bad mood, so whatever he says he probably doesn't mean._

She closed her eyes, preparing herself for his harsh words, but didn't hear anything. When she opened them back up, she saw Kakashi on his knees sobbing.

Koharu rushed over to him and knelt down next to him. She slung an arm over his shoulder and pulled him up into a sitting position.

"Kakashi, stop beating yourself up. It's okay to cry and be sad. We were all distraught over what happened, but it wasn't your fault at all. No matter how many times you put yourself in the situation again and think of what you could have done differently, it doesn't change what happened."

She continued to draw soothing circles on Kakashi's back as he took in some deep breaths. When he composed himself a little more, she kept talking.

"What matters now is that everyone is okay and alive. It's like you told me at the memorial stone… No one blames you for what happened. That thought never even crossed any of our minds. Trust me, everyone is worried about you, too. I know I definitely was."

Finally, the broken Shinobi looked at Koharu and stared for a few seconds. _She was worried… because of me?_

Kakashi gave the girl in front of him a small laugh but turned serious again quickly.

"Why me? Why is it always me?" he asked quietly.

Koharu sighed, running her hand through his hair.

 _I wish it wasn't you, Kakashi. I would burden all of your sadness if it meant you wouldn't feel this way._

"I don't know, but it's not fair. You are a great ninja, and an even better person, Kakashi. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened on those missions. Any of them. I don't know what I can do to help heal your pain, but at least let me try."

The silver-haired ninja turned to Koharu and smiled in what felt like ages. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Koharu looked away.

She slowly began to stand up and reached out a hand for Kakashi.

"I think it's time for you to go see Minato. He's been worried sick about you since he asked where you were, you know."

The calm feeling left Kakashi, and a sense of regret overtook him instead. _I can't believe I haven't even gone to see him. I really am a terrible friend._

Kakashi sighed and looked up at his friend. "I will… but Koharu…"

The brunette helped pull Kakashi up from the ground, "Yes?"

"Thank you."

He pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the hug, squeezing her arms around him. The two stayed in each other's arms until Koharu looked up and smirked.

"I guess we're even, huh?" she teased, releasing herself from his embrace.

Kakashi smiled and started walking off toward the hospital. He waved behind him and called out, "For now."

As he sauntered off, Koharu stood alone in the forest. When she looked around, she saw the number of dummies Kakashi actually destroyed and realized he just left her with clean up duty.

"Oh we are _so_ not even," Koharu mumbled angrily to herself.

* * *

Kakashi stood outside of Minato's room, hesitating to go inside.

 _He's going to be so furious with me, I just know it. Maybe it's best if I just-_

Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a voice call to him from inside the room.

"I know you're out there, so you might as well just come in."

 _It's too late now, I waited too long._

Kakashi slowly stepped into the doorframe, finally seeing Minato for the first time since that night. Not taking his eyes off the book he was reading, Minato waved Kakashi inside.

 _He looks much better since the attack._

The concerned Shinobi looked outside the door, before shutting it. He didn't know what to do, so he just stood awkwardly near the door. "I know I should have come sooner, but I…"

"You can come sit down, Kakashi," Minato encouraged as he continued to read from his book.

Kakashi made his way over to the chair and sat down uncomfortably by his friend. He cleared his throat before starting the conversation again.

"So… you're reading the last _Icha Icha_ again, I see."

Minato finally looked away from his book, "You know, this ending is almost as painful as getting hospitalized."

He looked at Kakashi with a straight face before bursting out in laughter.

"Minato, what the he-"

"Kakashi, I'm not mad at you. If anything, I'm hurt you weren't the first one to visit me. I expected flowers and chocolates, not your mopey face!" Minato smirked.

Kakashi chuckled. _Same old Minato, same old sense of cruel humor._

Kakashi's smile disappeared when he remembered the events of the past few days. The sense of sadness once again came back.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Minato. I just… I didn't… I couldn't…"

Tears began forming in Kakashi's eyes when he couldn't find the right words to say. Minato put his book down on his bedside table and reached over to place a hand on his friend's back.

"Kakashi… You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened. I was the one who jumped in front of the attack. I _wanted_ to. Not because I wanted to get hurt, but because I wanted to help a friend in need. You're my best friend, and besides Kushina, there's no one else I would rather give my life to save."

"Minato… I'm glad you're okay. I'm really, really glad you're okay. And I really am sorry for not coming sooner. You've done more for me than you can know, and I hope you know I would do anything for you, too."

"I'm glad you're okay too, Kakashi. And I know."

Minato smiled at Kakashi and shifted himself back into a more comfortable position in his bed. The masked ninja returned the smile and snatched the book off of the table.

"So where are you at? I haven't read anything in days."

* * *

A/N: We spent a long time trying to figure out the logistics of money in the Naruto world in relation to the necklace. It probably still isn't right… -Mio


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Disclaimer: After the Christmas door decorating in Chemistry, I brought Mio her lunchbox to our next class (we had it together). She doesn't remember this, but I thought it was a real turning point for us. We don't own Naruto, but we did start a friendship that day. -Ritsu

* * *

A couple weeks after the Tobi incident, everything finally returned back to normal and the host club settled back into their normal routine. Minato was able to leave the hospital and was now fully healed.

"I have to admit, it's nice to see everyone here and back to their normal selves. Maintaining the normal schedule with only two other people was really becoming tiresome," Shikamaru said as he moved a shogi piece.

Koharu nodded as she tried to think of a strategy.

"Even Kakashi seems to be in a better mood," she smirked.

Shikamaru sighed and gave Koharu a quizzical look. He looked back at the board and collected one of her pieces. "Too bad you didn't magically improve. Maybe if you focused on the game instead of him, you'd come close to beating me."

Koharu rolled her eyes but stole one more glance at the copy ninja. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him relaxing alone on the sofa, reading in his usual lazy demeanor.

Kakashi's moment of solitude was interrupted by Minato who plopped himself down on the couch. Before Kakashi could do anything, he was nudged in his side by the man next to him.

Kakashi winced at the gesture and spun toward Minato. "What the hec-"

"It's coming up ya know," Minato urged, his grin growing bigger by the second.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Minato," Kakashi insisted with a straight face.

"Yes, you do, Kakashi," Minato winked.

 _Why is he being so obnoxious?_ Kakashi asked himself. _Although, I know he won't leave me alone until I tell him what he wants to hear._

Kakashi sighed and put his book down on the table. "I don't know what to get her. I really want to do something big, but my mind's drawing blanks."

Minato laughed, "That's okay, in past years we never made a big deal about Koharu's birthday. Every year we would just have some cake and her dad and I would each buy her a new book. She was always happy with that."

He paused and looked over at Kakashi before continuing.

"This year, however, Jiraiya told me he wasn't sure if he would be able to be in town. Gamatatsu showed up at my house a few days ago and said the Third sent him on a mission that he isn't able to leave," Minato smiled sadly.

Both Kakashi and Minato looked over at Koharu, who was now happily chatting with Itachi since Shikamaru got bombarded by a few of the girls there.

"Sooo… it wouldn't hurt to go a little crazy this year. Koharu needs more good things in her life."

Minato winked at Kakashi again before getting up and walking back to his usual spot on one of the couches.

Kakashi crossed his arms but got up after a little more consideration of what he should do. "I'm gonna leave a little early today so I can go look around. See you tomorrow."

Minato waved to his friend and returned back to the business of the club. Kakashi shoved his hands in his pocket and made his way down to the market area in the village.

 _Where do I start? Let's see… if I was an eighteen year old girl what would I want?_

He found himself standing in front of the bookstore where he had first ran into Koharu and opened the door.

 _Something boring. She's into the classics somehow._

As Kakashi walked through the aisles, he found himself in front of the _Icha Icha_ series. He willed himself to push forward, knowing Jiraiya probably wouldn't like him buying these books for his daughter. Again, that is _._

Kakashi sorted through the rest of the store but couldn't find anything he thought Koharu would think was interesting. And when he did find something, he was sure he'd seen her reading it before.

 _How are there no books at all in this entire store that she would like? Now I have absolutely no idea where to look._

Defeated, the silver-haired ninja groaned and pushed the door open to leave the bookstore. As he was walking in the village again, he saw a young couple standing nearby.

He couldn't help but watch as the young man pulled out a small rectangular box for the girl. Her face brightened up when she saw the gift, and when she opened it, she squealed with joy.

"This is the one I've been wanting for a long time! Thank you!" he heard her exclaim in the distance.

 _That's it— a necklace!_

Kakashi rushed to the nearest accessory store he could find and began perusing the selections there. After several hours of meticulous searching, Kakashi dragged a hand down his face in frustration.

 _This is more stressful than any B-rank or A-rank mission I've ever been given!_

Annoyed and worn out, Kakashi started to make his way back home. As he was about to walk out of the shopping district he saw something that caught his eye.

He turned to a shop to his right and noticed a shiny glimmering object hanging from one of the hooks. Kakashi's eyes widened and he quickly jogged up to the little shop.

Kakashi picked up what caught his eye and smiled. It was a necklace with a charm of a bird on it. The bird looked exactly like one of Koharu's summons, Sora.

 _Finally I found something. This is perfect, I have to get it._

"Excuse me, how much for this necklace?"

"Ah, that one there? That little bird piece is 500,000 ryo!"

 _Dang it! I haven't been on many big missions lately and I only have about 400,000 ryo saved up right now._

"Is there any way it could go for a smaller price?" Kakashi pleaded.

"Sorry kid, but 500,000 is as low as I'll go. It's a rare one and there aren't very many left!" replied the vendor.

Kakashi let out a heavy breath. _I'm gonna have to do a few D-rank and C-rank missions to earn some extra money. I guess it won't be too bad._

"Could you hold it for me for a few days then?" Kakashi asked. "I will come back as soon as possible."

"I can try, but I work on a first come first serve basis. If you can get the money here in a couple days, you should be fine."

Kakashi thanked the vendor and walked away.

 _I should tell Minato tomorrow that I'll be gone._

* * *

"...so that's what he told me. I'll be in and out for the next week trying to get more money from missions."

Minato nodded and smiled. _You sure have changed, Kakashi. I guess I have Koharu to thank for that! I'm glad you two met, even though it was a pain to keep up with you guys at first._

Just then, the host club doors opened and in walked Koharu and Manami, giggling suspiciously.

"I'm going to see what they're up to," Kakashi told Minato as he was walking away.

The Yellow Flash smirked. _I can't help but take partial credit in those two meeting._

Minato shook his head and chuckled. "They better name their kid after me."

* * *

A/N: Woo, intro to a great arc. It's your reward for pushing through Tobi arc. Enjoy, Ritsu.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I think, if I had to rank my favorite asian foods it was go like this: Thai food, Vietnamese food, Korean BBQ (I'm craving this right now), Japanese food, Chinese food, and any other I left out 3

Still don't own Naruto. -Yui

* * *

Kakashi began doing simple missions like helping the elderly or chasing down cats that week.

 _Now when I blame my tardiness on "helping the elderly cross the street," it isn't a complete lie._

The ninja chuckled to himself when that thought occurred to him. _Not that anyone would believe it's the truth._

After a couple more days of tiring missions, Kakashi finally gathered up enough money to pay for the necklace, proud that he saved up everything on his own.

It was a few days before Koharu's birthday, and Kakashi was planning on going to buy the necklace after he finished cleaning up his part of the host club room. As the day started to come to a close, Kakashi started to pick up the cups and plates around his area quickly and haphazardly, eager to get out and buy the necklace.

Minato chuckled from the other side of the room as he watched his fellow host club member and began walking over to him.

"What's the hurry?" Minato asked, sneaking up on Kakashi from behind.

The masked ninja jumped at the sudden voice and almost dropped the tea cups he was holding. He frantically caught them to keep them from falling and spun around to face his best friend.

"I-I just forgot I had a mission again after the meeting today," Kakashi stuttered as he tried to come up with a good lie.

At that moment, Koharu overheard the pair chatting and walked up to help them clean up.

"You sure have been going on a lot of missions lately, Kakashi. Don't overwork yourself," Koharu said with a frown.

 _If only you knew what it was for…_ the grey-haired man thought to himself.

Kakashi smiled at the irony, but then started to gather his things.

"Is it okay if I leave, Minato? I have to go! Thanks!"

The usually calm and lazy ninja hurriedly sprinted out the door, not giving Minato the chance to answer.

Koharu tilted her head at the door and then looked at Minato with a confused face.

"What's with him?" she asked.

* * *

Kakashi ran down the market's streets and to the vendor that he saw the necklace at previously. He began to rummage through the necklaces in search for his gift to Koharu but couldn't find it anywhere.

 _I was sure it was here… It's only been a few days, it shouldn't be gone._

"Excuse me? I was here a few days ago and found a necklace with a bird on it. You didn't happen to sell it yet did you? I can't find it again."

The vendor thought about it for a few seconds, and then scratched his temple when he remembered which necklace he was referring to. "Sorry kid, someone came by and got that this morning."

"What?! Do you remember who bought it?"

The vendor put his hand on his chin and tried to recall who the buyer was. After a few seconds, he pointed his finger up.

"Oh! It was some old white-haired man. Carried around a bunch of scrolls with him and kept pestering the women around here."

Kakashi's eyes widened. _It can't be… Shouldn't he be on a mission? I either just got really lucky or I'm in big trouble._

"Thanks, I think I know who you described!"

The shinobi began jogging away from the little shop and headed to the first place Master Jiraiya would be: the hot springs.

When he got there, Kakashi weaved his way through the crowd of people, trying to get to the sage before he was gone. After a few minutes of searching, the masked ninja caught a glimpse of white hair and picked up his pace.

"Master Jiraiya! Hey, wait up!" he called out.

The Toad Sage turned around with a smirk on his face, already knowing what Kakashi was seeking him out for. The copy ninja, who was now out of breath from running all the way there, finally felt his nerves wash over him as he caught up to Jiraiya.

He took a short breath and spat, "Di-Did you buy the necklace?"

Jiraiya looked Kakashi up and down, smirking at how panicked he looked. Amused, he decided to mess with Kakashi a little.

"Maybe I did… or maybe I didn't. What's it to you?"

Kakashi glanced down at the ground, mumbling something under his breath.

"What was that, Kakashi the Copy Ninja?" Jiraiya teased.

Kakashi looked up from the ground and composed himself, putting on his usual lazy facade.

"I was going to give it to Koharu for her birthday. I thought I'd get her something special since-"

"Since I'm not going to be here," Jiraiya nodded, finishing Kakashi's sentence.

There was an awkward pause, and the air was heavy with the tension of the conversation.

"Aren't you supposed to be gone right now? Minato said you left a few days ago."

"I did leave, but had to come back to report something."

Jiraiya took another pause, but continued his thoughts.

"I know I may not be around much for Koharu, but I still love her. She is my daughter," he noted, his face full of seriousness.

Kakashi's eyes widened, and he brought his hands up in defense when he realized what Jiraiya had just accused him of implying.

"Wa-wait, I didn't mean it like that! I just… I just wanted to get something special for Koharu."

Jiraiya tried to keep the sternness in his face, but couldn't control it any more. He burst out laughing watching Kakashi shift uncomfortably.

"Don't worry, kid, I was only joking with you! You seem like a nice enough guy."

Jiraiya pulled out the necklace from his pocket and threw it at the copy ninja. Taken by surprise, Kakashi's eyes widened and he pulled his hands out of his pocket to catch it. Jiraiya smiled and disappeared from Kakashi's line of sight soon after.

The grey-haired man sighed, relieved to be alone again. He relaxed and turned to walk away.

"Before I leave on this mission again, I want you to make me a promise."

 _What the hell?_ Kakashi spun around, hearing Jiraiya's voice.

The shinobi looked up at Jiraiya, who had a completely serious face on again. Kakashi nodded, urging him to continue.

"I've looked into you a little, seeing as how Koharu and Minato only have good things to say about you."

Jiraiya watched Kakashi for a few seconds, observing him, then continued.

"I've learned a lot about you, Kakashi. What you've been through and how you've dealt with it. I have a lot of respect for you. I know the pain of losing someone, and I wish I handled it as well as you did. I trust you with my little girl. Don't break her heart."

Jiraiya smiled, gave Kakashi a pat on the back, and disappeared again.

 _Why does he keep disappearing like that? It's weird, but at least he said everything he needed to say._

"Well I guess he's not coming back, _again_."

"Oh, and you better not be taking any ideas from my books for Koharu. I won't hesitate to stop writing them, which would be especially painful after the cliffhanger of my last book."

Kakashi stared at Jiraiya wide eyed and felt his face heating up under his mask.

"I-I wouldn't-"

Before Kakashi could finish his thought, Jiraiya left again in a puff of smoke, and this time he didn't come back. He stood in place, half in shock and half expecting Jiraiya to pop back up again.

Kakashi's mind was still racing as he stuffed the little bird necklace in his pocket and walked off and out of the hot springs.

* * *

That night, Kakashi was sitting at his desk looking at the necklace he chased after. He couldn't help but continue analyzing what happened that day.

" _Don't break her heart."_

Those words kept replaying in his head no matter how many times he tried to forget about it. The copy ninja smiled and let out a chuckle, which echoed in his empty house.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kakashi whispered before stripping his shirt off and climbing into bed.

* * *

A/N: Kakashi was being sooo adorably nice this chapter. He reminds me of a good friend of mine that passed away this summer. She was always so amazingly nice, which is the total opposite of me. I'm a total bitch sometimes tbh. Miss her! -Yui


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Disclaimer: My favorite emoji is the upside down smiley. It accurately represents how I feel all the time. Like how I feel when I say we don't own Naruto. -Mio

* * *

That day at the host club, Minato threw a calendar down in Kakashi's lap and pointed to a date circled in red. Kakashi picked up the calendar and examined the circled date: March 20, Koharu's birthday.

"It's tomorrow and we have a lot to do so we need to get to work," Minato said excitedly.

Kakashi arched his eyebrows in confusion. "A lot to do? Are you planning something?"

"I told you we were gonna go big this year and I meant it! We're gonna throw her a surprise party!"

Kakashi nodded, "You weren't joking. What's the-"

"So did you finally get that _extra special_ gift, Kakashi?"

 _Is he really going to start this annoying game?_ Kakashi thought to himself.

The copy ninja ignored the question and attempted to get more information about the party. "What exactly is your big plan for the party? How are we even going to pull off a surprise party?"

"Well we've asked Manami to take her shopping tomorrow so we can set the party up at Koharu's house."

Kakashi chuckled at the plan Minato came up with. The blonde smiled and leaned back against the couch.

"Yeah, shopping probably wasn't the best idea, but Manami was really excited about it! Anyways, we're going over there after host club is over tomorrow to start the setup so feel free to come help."

Kakashi nodded and looked over at Koharu who was, once again, losing terribly to Shikamaru in their game of Shogi.

 _I really hope she likes what I got her,_ Kakashi thought, smiling to himself.

Kakashi turned back around and faced Minato with an eye smile. "Let's make this the best birthday for her yet."

Putting his hands in his pocket, Kakashi spun around and walked out of the host club. As soon as he stepped outside, he heard frantic footsteps coming from his left. He turned and saw Shizune and her pig Tonton running up to him.

"Kakashi? Oh thank goodness, we've been looking everywhere for you! Lady Tsunade needs a favor… She found a stack of requests that she completely forgot about and needs you to complete a couple more easy missions for her tomorrow.. It really shouldn't take all day. Do you think you would be able to do it?"

Kakashi sighed. _Maybe if I stayed in the host club a little longer I could have avoided her…_

"I don't know… If you're sure it wouldn't take all day, sure."

 _I really didn't want to do anything on Koharu's birthday, but I don't really have a choice. I have an obligation to Lady Tsunade and the village… plus if they're easy, they shouldn't take that long._

"I promise it shouldn't! Thank you _so_ much! Lady Tsunade will be so relieved I found you!" Shizune turned around and ran off to Tsunade's office with Tonton following close behind her.

 _Dammit, this is annoying. I better go tell Minato I have a change of plans, now._

Kakashi turned back to Room 222 and opened the door. He caught his friend's attention and beckoned him over to him.

"What's up, Kakashi?"

"You'll never guess who I ran into with a stack of missions that just _have_ to be completed by tomorrow."

"I thought I heard Shizune's voice, but I wasn't sure. What are you going to do about the party?"

"I'm still coming, I just can't help with the party preparations."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"You sign up for a few more missions to earn some money and then suddenly it's like you're the only one who's capable. Regardless, I'll try and get through them as quickly as possible so I can make it on time."

"Don't worry about the prep, we have plenty of hands to help. Just make sure when you show up you look as spiffy as you can."

Minato winked at Kakashi, "Like I said, we're making a big deal about it this year."

Kakashi laughed at his crazy friend. "Thanks, Minato."

* * *

A/N: The birthday arc is pretty important. That's all I have to say. -Mio


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but I have been the only vegetarian in my family since I was five. I'm eighteen now. I hate when people make a big deal, and complain about me being a vegetarian. -Ritsu

* * *

The day of Koharu's birthday finally arrived and everyone was busy getting ready for the party later that night. Manami, on the other hand, was busy trying to drag her best friend out so the others could prepare.

"Please Manami, I'm already going to let you drag me shopping, just let me stay longer."

"No Koharu, if we don't go now, the stores will get really busy and we won't have as much time!"

"Thirty more minutes! I really do just want to hang out with everyone for a little bit longer."

"Koharu, we can't! I have several places on my list we need to hit. Let's goooooo."

Koharu groaned and finally gave in to her friend. "Alright, alright. Drag me around against my will."

She grabbed her stuff and waved to the group, "Bye guys, see you tomorrow."

The group responded with a healthy mix of goodbyes and happy birthdays.

All day Koharu had been bombarded with birthday wishes, but the one person she really wanted to be with was nowhere to be seen.

 _Could it be that he forgot? How could he just disappear on my birthday? He was the one who would bring it up with me._

She never liked making a big deal about her birthday so she tried to push the thought out of her mind. Even so, she couldn't help but get a little sad and also a little angry.

 _And I'm only agreeing to this shopping spree because the last time Manami didn't get her way, it was not pretty._

Manami grabbed Koharu's hand and ran out of the school, dragging the brunette along with her. "YAY! It'll be a lot of fun, I promise! You won't even feel like you're shopping!"

When they finally hit the clothing shops, the two girls put on a lot of funny costumes and cute dresses. While it was distracting for a while, Koharu just couldn't shake the thoughts of Kakashi out of her head.

 _I just really wish he was there today…_

"It's been a long time since it was just the two of us!" Manami smiled as she pulled another dress off the rack.

"Especially considering how busy we've been since we stumbled across the host club," Koharu agreed.

She turned to her friend and put her hands on her hips. "By the way, you haven't told me how things have been going with you and Gaara. Fill me in!"

The blue-eyed ninjabeamed at the mention of Gaara's name and readied herself for all the stories she had.

"He's been so great! Where do I even start?"

* * *

Back at Koharu's house, chaos had broken out as everyone struggled to put up the party decorations.

"I JUST RAN OUT OF RIBBON, KUSHINA! WHAT DO I DO, I'M ALL OUT AND I'M NOT EVEN HALFWAY DONE!" Minato yelled across the room.

Sai glared at Minato as he walked over and yanked the ribbon off the wall. "Am I _really_ the only one who can be artistic in anyway around here?"

The yellow-haired ninja pouted and stormed off to go find Kushina, who was working on decorating the cake while Itachi watched.

Shikamaru walked over to help Sai take down the decorations Minato had done. "Minato, why did you only use streamers on that one part… It's not even symmetrical."

"Who put Minato in charge of the decorations anyways?" Gaara questioned.

"Himself," Sai said, rolling his eyes.

The three watched as their president visibly deflated with each comment and they all laughed.

Gaara stifled his remaining laughs. "We're kidding, Minato. This was a really great idea."

"I thought so!" Minato agreed, puffing out his chest.

As the four continued to decorate, Itachi wandered in.

"Where is Kakashi? Haven't seen him at all today," he mentioned.

"Oh, he was sent on some C-ranked missions at the last minute. He was pretty upset that he would be late but he should be coming later," Minato answered.

"Wouldn't he be late anyways?" Sai asked, looking away from what he was decorating.

Itachi chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure about that… Have you seen the way Kakashi looks at Koharu?"

"Well, we all saw what happened at the beach… I still can't believe none of us saw that coming," Gaara added.

"How else would we have been able to see it? They could hardly be in the same room for months without barking down each other's throats," Shikamaru said. "But it's just good to see Kakashi actually care about something… someone."

Minato nodded along. "He deserves something good in his life, a little light in the darkness. He doesn't like to admit it, but he gets lonely in that empty house of his… It's not a pretty sight."

"Come on boys! Stop standing around, ya know? There's only one hour left," Kushina called from the kitchen.

The guys all snap out of their thoughts, and frantically continued decorating.

"QUICKLY SOMEONE HAND ME THE STREAMERS AGAIN!"

* * *

A/N: I feel like I am Koharu on a deep level in this chapter. Shopping is a pain in the ass. -Ritsu


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. I hate saying this every chapter, but I'd rather not get sued :))) -Yui

* * *

As Manami and Koharu's shopping drew to an end, Manami could tell she had worn Koharu out, at least, more than any mission could have.

The honey-haired girl smiled at her friend who was falling behind. "I'll walk you home, Koharu. I don't think you could take another second of shopping if your life depended on it."

 _I only hope I was able to stall long enough for the boys._

The brunette nodded eagerly and caught up to her friend. "No arguments here."

When they began approaching Koharu's household, Manami tried to be as loud as possible to warn everyone they were here.

"AREN'T YOU GLAD TO BE BACK HOME, KOHARU?"

"Uhh, why are you yelling?" Koharu questioned. "I'm right here, you know."

"I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED WE WENT SHOPPING. IT WAS SOO MUCH FUN!"

Inside, Shikamaru picked up the sound of Manami's yelling and quickly tried to signal everyone.

"They're here guys! Hurry and turn off the lights and get in place!"

Minato sighed as he walked to his spot behind the couch. _I guess Kakashi didn't make it on time after all…_

Outside, Koharu turned to an anxious looking Manami. "Thanks for today, Manami. I really did have a good time, even though I threatened to kill you after every store you brought me to," she finished with a wink.

"Of course you had fun. It comes naturally when you're with me," Manami tossed her hair in return.

Koharu scoffed and unlocked the door. She walked in, Manami following.

The blue-eyed girl quickly turned on the lights and then stepped to the side.

"SURPRISE!"

Koharu leaped back in shock at the group of people who just jumped up from behind her furniture. She began to throw rapid hand signs before she realized that the people were her friends and that her house was covered in decorations.

"Woah, slow down there, it's just us!" Minato stepped toward her and frantically shook his hands back in forth, noticing that she had started forming hand signs.

Koharu let out a breath and relaxed. "Guys, you know I hate surprises! Why did you do this?"

"Come on Koharu! Everyone needs to celebrate with their friends on their birthday. Besides, it gives us a reason to throw a party," Minato eye-smiled back.

 _I can't believe they did all this! When did they even find the time?_

A smile crept on the kunoichi's face as she looked around the room, but it was soon replaced with a frown when she noticed one person was missing.

 _Even now… He's still not here._

Kushina noticed Koharu's change in mood and started to become worried. "Hey now, do you really hate it that much? We can take it down if-"

The birthday girl started to shake her hands back and forth in defense. "No, no… it's not that. I love it, and all of you guys for doing this for me."

"Good, because it's present time!" Minato grinned, gesturing her over to the group.

The brunette smiled and shook her head. "You guys really didn't have to get me anything! This party is way more than enough."

Sai audibly groaned and flopped himself down on a chair. "Well you should have informed us earlier, because it seems as though everyone here has brought something!"

Shikamaru sighed and chuckled. "What Sai means is, stop being so troublesome and come sit down."

The group all sat down around the living room, presents in hand. Itachi noticed Sai looked a little nervous, and kept looking down at his gift, unsure.

"Sai, you go first," Itachi nodded toward him, a silent encouragement.

Sai gave Itachi a look before handing his gift to Koharu. "It's not my best work, but you'll have other birthdays," he smiled, in his own Sai way.

Koharu held up a painting of everyone at the beach. She gasped, "This is beautiful Sai! I really, really love it. Thank you!"

Sai's smile grew as he looked away, "No problem."

"I guess I'll go next," Shikamaru sighed. "I was too lazy to wrap them."

The shadow ninja handed her a shogi set to keep in her house, along with a _Shogi for Dummies_ guide. "If you actually want to win a game, read this."

Koharu scoffed. "Thanks Shikamaru! You better watch yourself, now there's no way I can lose," she smirked.

"I wouldn't be so sure," he chuckled.

"OH, I WANT TO GO NEXT! Here, Koharu! One is from me, and the other is from Jiraiya."

Minato tossed her the next book in the series he's always gotten her, keeping up with tradition. He also passed her a second book with a note from her dad.

 _He wrote me a note, huh? I'll just read it later._

"Sorry I didn't get you anything for you to keep, Koharu, but I'm baking a cake right now for us all to have later. I think you'll really enjoy it!"

Next, Itachi gave her a plant for her room. "It can bloom anywhere, it's a pretty tough little plant."

"I bet you didn't know that these are actually my favorite. Thank you!"

Gaara coughed, getting Koharu's attention. He handed her a new tea pot, that was decorated with flowers and swirly designs.

"Err… Minato told us about what happened at dinner, and said you needed a new teapot. Manami gave me the idea, but I picked out the design!" Gaara smiled proudly, earning a pat on the back from Manami.

Koharu laughed and set the teapot down on the table. "I have been needing a new teapot since that night, and I love the design! Thank you, Gaara."

The last person to give Koharu a gift was Manami, who made her a scrapbook of all of their memories together since they were little.

"Manami! I love it so much! You didn't have to spend all that time on it."

Manami smiled at her best friend. "It took no time at all. Besides, I enjoy doing this stuff."

Koharu stood and turned to the whole group. "Thank you guys so much. I still can't believe you all did this for me. It's already been my best birthday yet."

Before anyone could respond, the front door opened and everyone turned their heads to see who was interrupting their little party.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Kakashi, who indeed did clean up very well and was dressed nicely.

There was a pause before Manami smirked and broke the silence. "You look nice, _Kakashi_."

Gaara shot Manami a defensive look and she winked at him, causing Gaara to playfully roll his eyes.

Furious, Koharu got up and walked out of the room without saying a word.

 _To think he would have the nerve to show up now! I can't believe him!_

Everyone's eyes followed Koharu out, and then found their way back to Kakashi, who was still standing in the doorway.

"I think Koharu is a little upset with you, if my instincts serve me right," Sai spoke up.

The rest of the host club gave Kakashi sympathetic looks as he shifted uncomfortably in his place.

"I... think I have something I need to take care of," Kakashi said as he closed the door behind him and began following Koharu's footsteps.

 _Well, I guess this isn't the first time she has walked away from me._

* * *

A/N: Fun fact: Koharu's birthday is March 20th! When are y'all's bdays? Maybe we're birthday buddies! -Yui, born August 10th ;)


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. We have a "Friends" group, and I'm Monica. Yui and Ritsu call me mom. -Mio

* * *

Kakashi followed Koharu outside into the backyard where she stood with her back toward Kakashi.

"Koharu… please don't be mad," Kakashi pleaded.

The brunette remained silent. Kakashi walked up behind her and gently touched her shoulder. "Kohar-"

"Oh, so now you decide you want to see me?" the masked ninja spat as she spun around.

"Koharu, please listen-"

"No, Kakashi, you were gone all day. The only person I really wanted to see today was you, but you didn't show up at all! How am I supposed to feel?"

The grey-haired ninja felt his heart drop. He looked down at the ground, too ashamed to look at Koharu, knowing he hurt her.

I can't believe I already broke my promise to Jiraiya.

Kakashi took a step closer to the green-eyed girl. "I'm really sorry, Koharu. Please understand it wasn't my choice."

Koharu glared at him, What does he mean it 'wasn't my choice'!?

"How was this not your choice? You've avoided me all day!" she yelled.

Kakashi yanked his head up and met her eyes. "Well I guess Minato didn't tell you then…"

"He didn't tell me what?"

"Yesterday when I left the host club, Shizune sought me out and said there were a few more missions Tsunade needed me to complete before today was over. I agreed because well, I didn't really have a choice."

Koharu began to feel a little guilty for how she reacted.

"They weren't supposed to take as long as they did, but one of the clients was extremely chatty and wouldn't let me leave."

The brunette stood there for a little while longer but relaxed after the story sunk in. Kakashi continued to stare at her, waiting for her response, but nothing came.

At least now she knows why, he thought to himself.

"Well, even if you are mad at me, I have something I need to give you," Kakashi said reaching into his pockets.

Koharu looked at the masked ninja and sighed. "I can't stay mad at you, idiot. I'm sorry I overreacted… "

Kakashi smiled, letting out a small chuckle. "Just turn around and hold up your hair."

Koharu reluctantly turned around and felt Kakashi's hand brush against her neck.

She looked down to see a charm of a tiny gold bird dangling from a necklace.

The kunoichi tried to turn around and face Kakashi to thank him, but Kakashi stopped her from moving. "Hold on a second, I'm still trying to clasp it."

"What? Kakashi Hatake the Leaf's very own Copy Ninja, can't put on a necklace? What has this world come to?" she smirked.

Kakashi chuckled and flicked the back of her head. "Hey, I got you this necklace. Don't forget that!"

"Hey, that hurt!" she complained.

There was a click and Koharu looked down at her neck once again. She picked up the charm and got a better look at the necklace.

Oh my gosh, it looks exactly like Sora!

"Kakashi! Where did you find this?"

Kakashi smiled, happy to see she liked it. "Let's just say it took a lot of hard work and a little tracking down..."

Koharu looked at the necklace for a second longer and turned around.

"Kakashi this is the best-" the brunette started, scrunching her eyebrows.

He's gone? I didn't even hear him leave.

She looked down and reached for the gold bird on her chest. She smiled softly, not only for the necklace, but for the ninja that gave it to her.

* * *

A/N: :))))))))))))))) -Mio


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. I have something called "Ocular Migraines," which basically means sometimes I lose my peripheral, and some other parts of my vision for up to 45 minutes. My life is solid. Also we don't own Naruto. -Ritsu

* * *

Koharu walked back inside to join the party her friends put together for her. When she walked into the living room she saw Kakashi leaning against the wall talking to Minato and Itachi.

 _So that's where he went._

Koharu continued to wander into the kitchen, where the food table was set up and where her cake sat. She walked up to observe it and decided to sneak some of the frosting into her mouth.

"Kushina! I LOVE THE FLOWERS! Thank you so much! Oh, and this cake is delicious, ya know."

The redhead looked up toward Koharu and smiled. "Thanks! W-wait, you tried it already?"

Before the brunette could answer, Minato yelled from the other room.

"HEY EVERYONE! Why don't we play charades in the living room? Guess the jutsu style! We can split up into teams. Me and Kushina vs _everyone else_!"

Kushina marched over to Minato and whacked him on the head.

"What was that for?" the blonde asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"You know you get crazy when we play charades," Kushina reiterated.

Itachi shook his head firmly. "The last time we played charades you locked me in a closet for _two hours,_ just because I won!"

Minato rolled his eyes, "Well that was because you cheated."

The Uchiha scoffed. "I did not! You're just a _sore loser._ "

Minato turned to face Kushina and pouted. "Am I really?"

Kushina laughed and grabbed Minato's hand, pulling him into the next room without answering his question. "I guess we can try one round. Come on everyone!"

The host club quickly complied, following the pair.

"How come they always listen to you, Kushina? I'm their president! " Minato grumbled under his breath.

Kakashi lingered behind, not really wanting to get involved. He looked over to see Koharu still standing by the cake and other snacks.

"Don't feel like playing, Koharu?"

Koharu looked up and beckoned Kakashi over. "Hey Kakashi, come here. What kind of cake is this?"

"Can't you tell? You've been eating it all night, haven't you?" Kakashi chuckled as he made his way over to her.

The green-eyed girl peeked over her shoulder when she heard him stop behind her to look at the cake.

"It looks like it's vani-"

Before Kakashi could finish his thought, Koharu quickly spun around and shoved the piece she had cut earlier in his face.

"W-wh- what the heck was that about?!" he griped.

Koharu tried eye smiling like Kakashi and shrugged. While her eyes were closed, Kakashi leaned over and cut a piece of cake.

She opened her eyes to see him smirking.

"The eye smile is more my thing, Koharu," Kakashi grinned, quickly shoving the slice in her face.

"There, an eye for an eye. We're even now," the masked ninja smiled cheekily.

 _Oh, it's so on now, Hatake._

Koharu wiped her face and grabbed another piece of cake, starting a full-on food fight.

The two continued tossing cake back and forth, laughing the whole time. Suddenly, Kakashi grabbed Koharu's wrist to counter, backing her up into the table.

With cake in one hand, Kakashi stopped to see a giggling Koharu. He dropped the cake on the table, his face turning serious.

Koharu finally stopped laughing when she heard the silence that had developed from Kakashi. She opened her eyes to see Kakashi staring at her intently.

The brunette noticed Kakashi's grip on her wrist tightened, his eyes no longer meeting hers, but gazing at her lips instead.

Koharu lowered her voice as her eyes traveled down his defined face. "Kakashi?"

The grey-haired man slowly started leaning in, using her trapped wrist to pull her closer.

"Yes, Koharu?"

The masked ninja was so close that Koharu could feel the breath of her name ghosting across her mouth from his now raspy voice.

"There's… something on your face..." she continued.

Koharu leaned forward and hooked her finger under his mask. She began pulling the fabric down slowly, unsure of how he would react.

Gaining back his senses, Kakashi realized what was happening. For a split second he felt cautious, but when he made eye contact with Koharu again, he put his hand on top of hers to encourage her.

Koharu finished pulling down his mask, and let herself take in every single detail of his face.

"Wow," Koharu said softly.

Koharu's voice was so quiet, Kakashi would've sworn he imagined it, if he hadn't felt the warm breath tickle his now bare face.

The copy ninja blushed slightly, but pushed away his nerves. He began to lean forward even more, slipping one hand around Koharu's waist. He pulled her closer, using his other hand to tilt her chin up toward him.

"Happy birthday, Koharu," he whispered as he closed the gap between them, gently pressing his lips against hers.

At first, Koharu was a little taken aback by the other pair of lips on her mouth, but she slowly began to return the gesture. Her arms found their way around his neck and she laced her fingers through his hair.

Kakashi deepened the kiss slightly, but then broke it apart a few seconds later.

The two stayed like this for a while, both pressed up against each other and a little out of breath. Both of them were visibly blushing, but neither wanted to look away.

Koharu finally broke the silence. "That's the best present I've gotten today," she smiled.

Kakashi smiled back, "Just today?"

 _He has a nice smile, I wonder how many people have actually seen it._

Kakashi suddenly pulled the fabric back over his face. "Uhh, I forgot how many people were in the next room. I don't really want to risk them seeing my face."

"What a shame… I like it better when it's off," Koharu winked.

The silver-haired ninja smirked at the girl in front of him. "Don't worry, that won't be the last time you see me without it."

Koharu could feel herself blush at his comment, and tried to change the subject. "We should probably get back to the party."

Reluctantly, the pair pulled apart and gathered themselves so they could join everyone else in the other room.

As they walked toward the door, Koharu grabbed Kakashi's hand. "Oh, and thank you Kakashi… for the necklace. It's perfect!"

Kakashi squeezed her hand and eye-smiled before letting go. The two enter the room, covered in cake.

Kushina turned when she noticed they had finally decided to join them. Kushina gasped, and felt her hair rising.

"WHAT HAPPENED? THAT WAS YOUR PRESENT, YOU KNOW?"

"Don't worry, Kushina, I still enjoyed it," Koharu reassured, laughing.

Before Kushina could retort, Minato called out to Koharu. "HEY KOHARU! You wanna play charades with us?"

"Oh, she doesn't like games, they never end well for her. Right, Koharu?" Kakashi responded for Koharu with a smug look on his face.

Koharu smiled and sighed, joining Shikamaru on the couch. She listened as everyone began to bicker about the score.

"So did you have a good birthday?" Shikamaru asked, not interested in the score, or the game in general.

Koharu looked over to Kakashi to see the boys fighting over him.

"As Kakashi's best friend, I think he should be on my team," Itachi said, crossing his arms.

Minato scoffed. "WHAT? If he was anyone's best friend, he would be MINE! I did almost die for him."

"Too soon, Minato," Kushina growled.

Koharu laughed at the silliness and looked back at Shikamaru with a smile.

"The best."

* * *

A/N: Congrats, finally the damn kiss we've all been waiting on. Took forty-one chapters. I'm laughing… I hate us. I wonder what color the cake was? -Ritsu


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Disclaimer: 42 chapters and they're finally together! Mio keeps getting mad at me because I forget to type "We don't own Naruto." (Yeah I am. -Mio) So here you go Mio. We don't own Naruto. -YUI ur fave still

* * *

"Alright I'm not playing _another_ round, Minato! I've already beat you several times," Itachi finally gave up, refusing to keep the charades game alive.

"But I _have_ to even out the score!" Minato whined.

"You haven't won once Minato, you can't just even the score that easily," Sai countered.

"It's also getting pretty late," Kushina added.

Minato huffed, knowing they were right. Koharu looked up from her new shogi board, and sat down the book Shikamaru gave her.

"If you guys want, you all can stay the night. It's just me in town and there are plenty of extra beds!"

"Are you sure? We don't wanna overstay our welcome," Gaara asked.

"She's sure," Manami answered for Koharu.

Everyone in the group agreed to stay the night, except Shikamaru, who had already passed out and sprawled across the couch.

Itachi and Sai volunteered to sleep on the two chairs next to the couch, while Manami headed to Koharu's room, assuming that was where she would be.

Koharu saw Manami heading toward her room and smiled. _I guess she already knew what I was going to suggest to her._

Koharu turned back to the rest of the people still without a place to sleep and contemplated where they could go.

"All that's left is the guest room and the game room. You guys can pick."

Minato grabbed Kushina's hand and started pulling them toward the guest room.

"We call the bed! _Haha_ Kakashi, _haha_ Gaara! Guess who's the _real_ loser now!"

Gaara rolled his eyes and turned to face Koharu, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh yeah, uhh… Well I don't really… uhh… sleep."

Koharu spun to face Gaara, worry etched across her face.

 _He doesn't sleep? Who doesn't… Oh, is this what Manami was referring to in the hospital?_

Koharu tried to shake the concern off of her face and replaced it with a smile. "I'll go get blankets in a second, and you can bring one to Manami for me then!"

Looking over at Kakashi, Koharu said, "I can help you make a bed on the couch in the game room. Give me a second."

Koharu made her way out of the room and down the hall, opening up a closet. She reached in and grabbed a huge stack of blankets and quilts. She shut the door and quickly scurried back into the room.

Itachi stood up and took a few blankets off for him and Sai, but gave Koharu a questioning look.

Koharu tossed a blanket on top of Shikamaru who rolled over but didn't wake up.

"Oh, my mom was really into knitting and sewing; We kept everything she made. These are only some of them."

Gaara nodded and grabbed a couple blankets. "Your room is…?"

"Just up the stairs at the end of the hall," Koharu replied, as she tossed half of the blankets that were left at Kakashi.

She picked up the other half and turned back to Itachi and Sai. "Do you guys need anything else?"

The two shook their heads and started to get comfortable in their respective chairs.

Koharu walked past Kakashi and waved for him to follow her. They entered the game room, and Koharu unfolded the sleeper sofa while Kakashi started unfolding a few quilts.

The two quickly made the bed. After they finished, Koharu turned toward the bookshelf. "Uhhh… if you need anything I'll be in Jiraiya's room by the kitchen."

Kakashi watched as Koharu picked out a book and pulled it off the shelf.

 _I bet she's already read that a dozen times,_ Kakashi thought.

Koharu turned back around to face Kakashi. "Help yourself to these books, too. Obviously we have _Icha Icha_ , but in case you feel like expanding your horizons to a more… refined taste, they're here too."

Leaving Kakashi to settle himself down, Koharu walked out of the game room and headed to Jiraiya's room. She threw herself down on his giant bed and opened her book to read.

* * *

A few hours later that night, Kakashi laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling.

 _There's way too much on my mind, especially after tonight. Maybe a glass of water will help me clear my head._

As he attempted to make his way toward the kitchen, he bumped into multiple unknown objects and muttered curses under his breath. When he passed Jiraiya's room, he noticed that the light was still on.

 _She probably fell asleep and forgot to turn it off,_ he chuckled quietly.

Kakashi peaked his head into the room to find the light switch, but saw that Koharu was wide awake, completely engrossed in her book. He smiled and decided to join her.

Using his amazing ninja skills, Kakashi crept up beside Koharu and yanked the book out of her hand. Koharu shot back and yelped, wide-eyed, before she realized who the culprit was.

Kakashi watched her reaction, book still in hand. He smiled and raised an eyebrow, completely amused. "How brave of you."

"Give it back Kakashi!" Koharu rolled her eyes and sat up, regaining her composure.

Kakashi put her bookmark in the book and shut it. He leaned up against the wall by the bed. "What are you still doing up?"

Koharu quickly leaned forward in an attempt to grab her book. "I could ask you the same thing."

Kakashi took a step back and raised the book over his head, making it out of Koharu's reach.

"Ugh, come on Kakashi! Give it back! This is the best part of the book," Koharu whined.

Kakashi smiled and flipped the book back open. He took a dramatic breath in and began to read out loud.

"I may think of you softly from time to time. But I'll cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again…"

Koharu motioned toward the bed. "Well if you're going to read to me you might as well sit down."

Kakashi looked up from the book for a second and hesitated. _What would Master Jiraiya do if he found out we got into the same bed…?_

Koharu noticed Kakashi's reaction and rolled her eyes. " _Not_ like that Kakashi, and plus, it's not like you have anything better to do," she smirked.

"Well I could be sleeping..."

Kakashi looked back down to find his place, but sat down next to Koharu anyways. Koharu scooted a little closer to Kakashi and leaned against him, looking over his shoulder and following along.

As they read the book together, Kakashi found himself getting more and more interested by the page and actually began getting into the story.

Kakashi turned his head and looked at Koharu. "Now I know why you love these books so much."

Kakashi noticed her eyes were closed. _She looks so peaceful…_

Koharu hummed in response, urging him to keep reading. Kakashi smiled as he turned back to the book, and continued where he left off.

In the middle of the next chapter, Kakashi felt extra weight on his shoulder, and noticed Koharu's soft breathing even out. He glanced over to see Koharu's head nuzzled into his shoulder, a tiny smile spread across her face.

Kakashi pushed the hair that started to fall in front of her face behind her ear.

 _Okay, that's enough for tonight then._

Kakashi reached over Koharu, and put the book down on the bedside table, careful not to wake her. He stretched and turned the lamp off, then pulled the covers over Koharu, who was still peacefully asleep.

Kakashi tried to get up, but as soon as he started to move away from her, Koharu began to stir awake.

 _Okay, okay, don't wake up. I'll stay for a little bit longer._

Kakashi laid down completely, causing Koharu's head to shift from his shoulder to his chest. She moved again slightly to place a hand on his chest and happily sighed.

Kakashi stared up at the ceiling, as he tried to remember the last time he felt this at ease, before he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: MIO! LEAVE ME ALONE! On another note, do yall watch any other non-anime shows? I'm a fan of Dr. Who, Sherlock, Supernatural, Criminal Minds, SVU, and a lot more. -Yui


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Disclaimer: My favorite movie is The Parent Trap (the Lindsay Lohan one). It just makes so happy. Don't own that or Naruto tho. -Mio

* * *

Gaara made his way upstairs and walked down the hallway, carrying the blankets in his arms.

 _Up the stairs, and down the hall… This must be it._

He repositioned the blankets and knocked on the door. "Manami? Can I come in?"

"Gaara? Yeah go ahead!" she called out behind the closed door.

He cracked the door open to see Manami sitting in Koharu's desk chair. She was beaming at a small picture frame she held in her hand.

The sand ninja smiled lightly and shut the door behind him. "Koharu sent me to deliver extra blankets, in case you get cold tonight."

"Thank goodness, I swear it's always freezing in here!"

He chuckled at his girlfriend, moving to where he was looking over her shoulder. "So what are you looking at?"

"I was just admiring this picture of Koharu and me when we were kids. School got canceled that day because of the snow, so she and I stayed out and played all day. Of course, she didn't get sick because she's an ice ninja, but I caught a nasty cold. It was worth it though!"

The sleepless shinobi spun his girlfriend around to face him, and kissed her forehead. "Well, you and Koharu were very cute kids."

The medic stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But I was cuter, right?"

Gaara chuckled, moving closer to the honey-haired kunoichi. "Of course."

Manami smiled cheekily and let go of her boyfriend, turning away from the kiss that was coming.

"Thanks a bunch, Gaara," she winked.

 _Oh she's gonna pay for that…_

In a flash, the redhead had grabbed Manami's waist and pulled her on to the bed. He pinned her down so she was looking up at him.

"G-Gaara?"

He leaned in and smiled.

"Payback."

The sand ninja began running his hands up and down her sides.

"Gaara, please, you know I'm—" she closed her eyes and and burst out into laughter "—TICKLISH!"

Manami rolled around, trying to get out of Gaara's grip.

"GAARA… PLEASE… YOU'LL WAKE...EVERYONE! PLEASE!" she breathed between laughs.

Finally, her boyfriend let up, allowing the flushed and out of breath ninja sit upright.

The redhead looked over. "This is what happens when-"

Before he could finish, Manami reached over and kissed him.

"There's your kiss, happy?"

"Very."

Gaara smirked, and Manami rolled her eyes before scooting over and leaning into him. The two sat on her bed in a comfortable silence.

The medic nin looked over and scrunched her eyebrows. _Wait…_

"So where are you staying tonight? I seem to remember you telling me you don't normally sleep."

Gaara scratched the nape of his neck and shook his head. "I'm actually not too sure what I'm going to do."

"Well you're welcome to stay in here with me!" Manami finished with a wink.

Gaara coughed and looked away as he felt the blood rush up to his face. "You really must enjoy making me blush, huh?"

"Oh after I met you, red became my _favorite_ color." Manami rolled over, making room for Gaara beside her.

 _I can at least stay with him, even if he won't sleep._

The sand ninja watched his girlfriend with a smile, before crawling up next to her. He kicked his feet up and leaned his head back on the headboard. Manami yawned, and scooted over next to Gaara, using him as a pillow.

Gaara smiled and looked down at Manami, who was struggling to keep her eyes open. "You don't have to stay up with me, you can go to sleep."

Manami looked over at Gaara and lowered her voice.

"Will you stay here if I do?"

"Do I really have a choice?" Gaara chuckled.

Manami playfully hit him on the arm before yawning again. Gaara shifted, lying down completely. Manami quickly followed his lead, hugging one of her arms around his chest.

Gaara relaxed to her touch. _I… I could get used to this._

It didn't take long for Manami to fall asleep; Gaara looked down and noticed her facial features all began to relax.

Gaara reached his hand up and traced the soft features of Manami's face that he had come to love.

As Manami began to fall into deeper sleep, her body started to move around. Her legs moved toward the redhead's and intertwined with his.

Gaara felt heat rush to his face as her warm legs met his cold ones. _How does she manage to make me blush even in her sleep?_

For the rest of the night the two stayed like this: Manami clinging to Gaara, and Gaara smiling at the ceiling, thinking how lucky he was to have her in his life.

* * *

A/N: Who the heck cares about Gaara and Manami besides Yui? -Mio (She did a fabulous job with this chapter though)

*Yui teardrops*


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto, but if I did, boy, it would have been trash. Just like me. Yui is always in the shotgun of my car. She's in charge of controlling the AUX. -Ritsu

* * *

 _Shit,_ Koharu gasped she flew off the bed. _What's going on?_

Koharu rubbed her eyes and sat up on the floor looking around the room.

"Please… not you too..."

 _What was that?_

Koharu stood up from the floor and looked over to see Kakashi still lying on the bed, eyebrows furrowed, body trembling.

"Kakashi?! Kakashi, wake up!" Koharu crawled across the bed and tried to shake him awake.

Kakashi bolted up, eyes wide with concern. Without a word, he reached for Koharu and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I- I t-thought I lost you."

 _What is he talking about?_

Koharu locked her arms around Kakashi, despite her confusion. "Kakashi... what happened just now?"

Kakashi reluctantly pulled out of the hug and looked at Koharu with a sad smile. "Sometimes I have these… nightmares, where I lose someone I care about."

Kakashi looked down at his palms, and leaned forward.

"Most of the time they're about Rin, Obito, or my father, but tonight it was you. I-I dreamt that you were gone."

Koharu sympathetically smiled at Kakashi and placed a hand on his back, moving it in circles to comfort him. She started thinking about what he heard him mumble in his dream and felt her heart ache.

 _What he was saying in his sleep… That was because of me?_

After a moment of silence, Koharu grabbed Kakashi's hand and squeezed.

"I said I wanted to start healing your pain, Kakashi, so I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you," she whispered.

Kakashi squeezed her hand back and smiled. He ran a hand through his hair and laughed.

He looked up at the mirror across the room and began to fumble with his hair, trying to tame his bedhead.

"Boy I'm a mess."

 _I wouldn't call that a mess, it's actually pretty attractive._

"I think this look suits you," Koharu smirked.

Kakashi chuckled as he threw the covers off of him, and began climbing out of bed. Koharu quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back toward her.

"Stay with me tonight."

 _I guess I owe her one after kicking her off the bed._

The Copy Ninja complied, laying back down on his side. Koharu turned to face him, and Kakashi pulled her into his chest.

Inhaling, Koharu took in the scent of Kakashi and snuggled into his arms.

Kakashi paused for a second before lightly pressing his lips to her forehead, leaving them there for a second. Koharu happily hummed, earning a smile from the nightmare-stricken shinobi.

She tilted her head up and locked eyes with Kakashi. "You know, everyone else in the house is asleep."

With a cheeky smile, Koharu pulled her hand up to Kakashi's mask. Kakashi laughed, causing Koharu to feel the vibrations from his chest.

"Here, let me help you with that."

In one swift motion Kakashi pulled down his mask and inched his face toward Koharu. She leaned forward to close the distance, but was disappointed when Kakashi turned his head last minute.

A playful pout spread across her face. "You're such a tease, Kakashi!"

He smiled and quickly pulled her into a kiss.

Unprepared, Koharu widened her eyes in surprise. However, she soon found herself closing them, returning the favor.

The kiss was soft and delicate, and the couple found themselves smiling into it.

Reluctantly, Kakashi finally broke the kiss and ruffled her hair. "There, now you have bed head, too."

Koharu rolled her eyes and tried to fix what he messed up. "Go to bed… and I better not wake up on the floor again."

She turned over on her other side, finding Kakashi's arm snaked around her waist a moment later. He slightly tightened his hold, pulling her closer to him.

 _Even though she said I won't lose her, I'm not taking any chances._

Kakashi then closed his eyes, drifting off into a much needed sleep.

* * *

A/N: Poor Kakashi, I love him so much. I don't want him to have nightmares. -Ritsu


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Disclaimer: Naruto still isn't ours. Ritsu and Mio always make me write the Manami and Gaara chapters, but I don't mind. -Yui

* * *

Koharu's eyes fluttered open and she rubbed the back of her eyes as she forced herself up. She stretched her arms and tried to stifle a yawn as she looked over to where she expected Kakashi to be.

 _Where did he go?_

Koharu walked out into the main room to find everyone awake and cleaning the mess they had made.

"Good morning, Koharu," Kakashi greeted, eye smiling.

"Morning," she returned with a smile.

Koharu walked over to Minato standing on a ladder taking decorations down. "You guys should have woken me up, I should be the one cleaning!"

"Don't be silly, Koharu. We did the crime and we can do the time," Minato said, grinning.

Koharu chuckled and then looked over at the couch to see Shikamaru still passed out on it. Minato followed her line of sight to see what she was looking at.

"Oh we never wake Shikamaru up… There are just some things in this world that should never happen again," he grimaced.

The group shuddered as they recalled the first _and last_ time they woke Shikamaru up from his slumber.

Sai shook his head. "He wasn't even awake, yet he shadow-paralyzed us all for three hours! We don't even know how he had that much chakra or energy to keep us there for that long."

 _I can just imagine everyone freaking out throughout the whole ordeal,_ she smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

Koharu chuckled as she looked around the room and saw the disaster she and Kakashi had made the night before. She grabbed a rag, wet it, and began to wipe the leftover cake off of the floor and furniture around her.

A few minutes later, Kushina walked in to see Koharu cleaning a giant mess alone.

She grabbed a rag and swung it around in circles. "You never did explain how my cake got all over the kitchen, ya know."

Koharu turned her head at the sudden voice from behind. The redhead knelt down beside her and began helping her wipe the cake off the floor.

"Hmm… Let's just say Kakashi and I got into a slight disagreement and things got a little out of control."

Koharu glanced up and smirked at Kakashi, who had appeared in the entryway of the kitchen as they were tidying up. He looked at her for a second before smiling back and grabbing a broom to sweep the floor.

Kushina turned her head back and forth between the two and was about to keep pushing the topic before she heard Minato yell from the living room.

"KUUUUUSHINA!"

The red-head rolled her eyes and snickered before standing up and walking toward the noise. "It's always something with him."

Koharu watched as Kushina tried to appease Minato. _They really are so happy together. They were made for each other._

When Koharu turned back, she noticed that Kakashi had been staring at her the entire time. She blushed and got up from the floor.

"How long was everyone up before me?" she asked, throwing away the last of the cake.

Kakashi broke his gaze and continued to sweep. "I'm not sure, I was only up about ten minutes before you were… I would have woken you up, but I thought it would have been suspicious."

Before Koharu could reply, the conversation was once again cut short by Minato's wails from the living room. The pair turned in the direction of the group and saw Kushina desperately trying to console him.

"What is it, Minato?" Kushina sighed.

"A GIANT MOTH JUST CRAWLED ON MY ARM WHEN I TOOK DOWN THIS BANNER!" he yelled.

Kushina's hair began rising out of irritation. "MINATO NAMIKAZE, YOU ARE ONE OF THE MOST SKILLED SHINOBI IN THIS ENTIRE VILLAGE! CAN YOU ACT LIKE IT AND GROW UP AND STOP SCREAMING?! PEOPLE WILL THINK THERE'S REAL DANGER HERE!"

Minato frowned and in a small, fearful voice murmured, "B-but it has wings.…"

Kushina rolled her eyes. "Show me where it is."

The blonde lead her over to a corner of the room and pointed at a small green object. Kushina walked up, looked at the bug, and slowly turned around.

"Minato," she said, trying to hold in her anger, "THIS IS A LEAF!"

Minato's face changed as he dashed over to Kushina and forced her into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

Kushina attempted to release herself from his grip before he stepped back and scratched his head, smiling anxiously.

Over on the couch, Shikamaru turned over as he listened to all the yelling going on in the household. He groaned in annoyance, hoping that everyone would get the message to quiet down.

Minato pushed Kushina in front of him, attempting to hide from the sleepy shadow ninja. "No, not again, please."

Kushina spun around to face Minato and glared at him, anger leaking with every word she spoke.

"Did you really just hide behind me?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Minato looked at his girlfriend and decided that Kushina was much scarier than Shikamaru. He started backing away before yelling for help.

"KAKASHIIII, HELP ME PLEASE."

At that outburst, Shikamaru finally got up, grabbed his things and headed toward the door.

"...troublesome group of friends…let a person sleep..." he grumbled to himself as he walked out.

Following closely behind Shikamaru, Kushina dragged Minato by the arm and started heading toward the door. Through gritted teeth, she turned and faced the group upon their exit. "Sorry guys, looks like Minato and I aren't staying much longer."

Minato turned around and looked at everyone pleadingly, but the rest of the group only returned his begging with sympathetic smiles and a few head shakes.

"It appears now is the socially acceptable time to leave." Sai pushed himself off of the couch and strided out of the door without another word.

Itachi watched everyone around him leave and sighed. "Honestly, Sai never gets better at formalities does he? Anyways, I should go make sure Kushina hasn't pummeled Minato yet. I hope you enjoyed your party, Koharu. See you all back at school!"

Gaara, who had been folding up the blankets and stacking them on the chair, smiled at Koharu and Kakashi.

"I hope you two had a peaceful night," he said, placing the last blanket on top of the pile. "Manami, do you want to go grab breakfast somewhere?"

Manami ran over to Koharu and gave her a quick hug.

"You better tell me everything that happened last night," she whispered into Koharu's ear before grabbing Gaara's hand and bolting out the door.

Koharu's face paled a bit. _How does she always know everything before I tell her?_

She turned to look at Kakashi after everyone had left.

"Well…. That was quick. Remind me to thank Minato later, I think Kushina was getting curious about the cake mess before he had a melt down."

"Well, you know, bugs aren't really his thing," Kakashi chuckled.

Koharu scoffed. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

The two began laughing at their paradoxical friend. In the silence that fell after, the pair looked at each other uncomfortably.

After a few seconds, Koharu broke the silence. "I had a-"

"Last night was-" interrupted Kakashi at the same time.

Koharu shifted in her spot but straightened up and cleared her throat. "You first."

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, thinking about what he was going to say.

"Last night was… was really… fun?" His statement turned into a question as he became more self conscious.

Koharu slowly nodded. "I had a good time…. didn't you?"

"Of course, but anytime I'm with you is good to me," Kakashi replied smiling and looking into Koharu's eyes.

Koharu blushed and looked down at the counter mumbling something Kakashi couldn't understand. Kakashi set the broom down and leaned it up against the table as he walked closer to Koharu.

"You're going to have to speak up," he said softly, putting his hand on top of hers.

Koharu was surprised by the sudden warmth of his hand but continued to look down at the counter.

"We should do this again," she managed to say.

Kakashi chuckled at the request. "Do what again? Spending the night together or destroying a cake?"

Koharu laughed and shook her head. "You know what I meant."

The silver-haired ninja put his hands in his pockets and began to walk off, but he stopped in his path and turned his head back around.

"Maybe one day I'll let you come to my place," he smirked.

 _Go to your place, huh?_ Koharu contemplated, smiling at the thought.

"Oh, so someone will finally get to see where you live? That's so unlike the Kakashi Hatake everyone speaks about."

Kakashi chuckled and turned around, continuing to head outside.

"See you around, Koharu."

Kakashi opened the door and looked over his shoulder one last time to give Koharu an eye smile before walking out and closing the door behind him.

When he was out of view, Koharu smiled and reached her hand up to the back of her neck to unclasp the necklace, but looked back down at the metal object hanging on it. Another smile stretched across her face as she thought once again about the person who gave it to her.

Koharu put her hand back down to her side and locked the door in front of her.

 _Maybe I'll keep this gift on for a while._

* * *

A/N: I love Kushina and Minato so much. They are honestly relationship goals 33 -Yui


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. A tissue box in my car saved Yui's life. Literally. -Mio

* * *

A couple of weeks following Koharu's birthday, the host club was enjoying yet another normal day. Minato stood, smiling, watching his friends entertain the guests. As he scanned the room, he noticed a certain redhead and his counterpart missing.

 _I wonder what they're up to. Maybe I should go find them… This is working time, after all!_

In the kitchen, Gaara stood, refilling the tea cups. Manami pouted, grabbing the sand ninja's arm.

"Gaara, pleaseee let me meet them!"

He tried to squirm out of Manami's grip with no avail. Sighing, he looked over at her. "Manami, don't talk so loud… Everyone here will hear you! I'm fine with _you_ meeting them, but I don't need this to be a club activity Minato will exploit."

Manami opened her mouth to retort before she was interrupted by a surprising voice.

"And what, exactly, would Minato exploit?"

The two looked over at Minato, who had obviously been eavesdropping on their conversation. Manami let go of Gaara's arm and smirked.

"I was just asking Gaara if I could meet his older siblings," Manami smiled widely.

Minato's eyes widened as he lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper.

"You never told me you had siblings!?"

Gaara shot him a look, his face set in his normal, annoyed demeanor. "That's because I didn't want you to meet them."

Manami elbowed Gaara, giving him a look. _You need to cool off._

Gaara nodded and turned back to Minato to apologize, but before he could, Minato began yelling.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR! I AM A GREAT AND WELCOMING PERSON! JUST ASK KUSHINA! KUSHINAAAA I NEED YOU!"

 _Just ignore him, he'll stop eventually,_ Kushina reassured herself.

"KUSHINA PLEEEASE!"

 _Block out his voice, you do it everyday. You can do this._

"KUSHINAAAAA!"

The host club looked to the source of the noise, then to Kushina. She sighed, apologizing to the girl she was helping. "I'll be right back, there's _something_ I need to take care of."

Kushina, along with Koharu and the rest of the host club, walked toward the shrieking.

"KUSHIN- Oh you came!" Minato turned, smiling.

Gaara noticed the presence of the entire host club and poked his head out of the kitchen to reassure their guests.

"Hey ladies, don't mind us, you know how Minato is. We'll be back out to join you shortly!"

The crowd of girls all collectively giggled before going back to chatting.

Gaara turned back to the group, focusing on Minato.

Kushina put her hand on her hip. "Is there a reason you were screaming my name, Minato?"

Minato quickly rushed over to her, pointing at Gaara. "Tell him how great of a person I am, and how fun I am to be around!"

Kushina, straight-faced, turned to Gaara. "He's a great person, and fun to be around, ya know."

Koharu, who had just been taken away from a heated Shogi game, narrowed her eyes at Manami's smug look.

"What's this about, and why do you look so pleased, Manami?"

Manami cleared her throat, preparing herself to explain the situation to her best friend.

"Manami…" Gaara warned, lowering his voice.

She reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I would have told her anyways, even without the scene Minato caused."

Gaara sighed again, closing his eyes. _Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better._

"I asked Gaara to take me to meet his siblings, and then Minato popped up wanting to join me."

Koharu looked over at a distressed Gaara and smirked at how troubled he looked.

"Ohh, already meeting the family? I didn't realize you guys were so _serious,_ " she mocked.

Gaara blushed, using the hand not clinging to Manami's to run through his hair. Manami looked over at her flustered companion.

 _He's so cute when he blushes like this, but I think I prefer being the one that causes it._

Overhearing the conversation, Sai was the first to speak up from the gathering group. "When we spent the night at your house, Gaara never came back from returning the blankets to your room, Koharu. Of course they're serious."

Upon hearing this comment, Gaara started choking and turned around to drink some tea to suppress his coughs. Manami doubled over, gasping for air between laughs.

Koharu's eyes widened when a sudden realization came to her head. "Something better not have happened! That's _my_ room! I sleep in there!"

Manami, after several failed attempts, finally calmed herself down. She straightened herself out and gave her classic smirk.

"Oh yeah, well where did Kakashi sleep that night, huh?" she retorted.

Confused, the entire group turned to Koharu, who started to stutter. "H-He slept… I mean I-"

Throughout the whole ordeal, Kakashi remained calm. He set his book down and cut Koharu off before she said anything embarrassing.

"I slept in the game room," he said nonchalantly.

Manami rolled her eyes while Sai thought back to that night. "Well, we did see you guys head in there to make the bed up and Koharu did return alone… But on the other hand, Kakashi didn't enter from that side of the house in the morning."

Koharu looked over at Kakashi, hoping he had an excuse for them in mind. He sighed, holding his hands up.

"Well you caught me. I was going for a midnight snack and fell asleep eating it at the kitchen table."

The host club gave Kakashi a suspicious look, but before they could question further, Gaara turned back around, fully recovered. "Nothing happened, Koharu. Don't worry. And if you all honestly want to meet my family this much… I suppose I can coordinate a dinner or something."

Excited about the news, Minato exclaimed loud enough for the entire room to hear.

"YAY! Gaara meet the family day!"

He faced the rest of the group. "This is a required event for everyone here, so you better clear up your calendars!"

Gaara sighed and turned to Manami. "This is what I meant by exploiting it."

The adorable medic nin laughed and hugged Gaara, who rolled his eyes but returned the gesture.

"Thank you, Gaara."

* * *

A/N: I had absolutely nothing to do with this Gaara dinner arc. But wasn't the birthday one so cute? ;) -Mio


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto. Oh my god, there's this great video of a guy breaking a one of a kind piece. Lord, I actually die everytime. His hands are shaking and he's so nervous. Look up "Man Breaks One of a Kind Item" on Youtube. "Shit!" What are y'all's favorite videos? -Ritsu

* * *

The next night, the host club, all having varying ranges of emotion across their faces, stood outside of Gaara's house. The only two people who seemed to be excited were Minato and Manami, who were both jumping up and down.

Koharu put her hand on Manami's shoulder to try to get her to stop bouncing around. "Calm down if you want them to like you, Manami."

Manami glanced at her and shrugged off her hand. "Everyone likes me, Koharu," she finished with a wink.

Kushina turned to Minato, who still could not contain his energy. "You better calm down too, Minato."

Minato gathered himself and held a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I will. BELIEVE IT!"

Shikamaru sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "This night is going to be nothing but troublesome."

Concerned about his younger friend, Itachi turned to Sai. "Please try not to say anything rude… or anything you would normally say… Just say the opposite of what comes into your head."

Sai nodded. "I do not understand," he smiled, giving Itachi a thumbs up.

"We're doomed," muttered Itachi under his breath while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Koharu sighed. _Maybe Gaara was right, and this wasn't a good idea after all._

As if he read her mind, Kakashi came up beside Koharu and secretively grabbed her hand, gently squeezing it.

"Quit worrying, Koharu. If you could fall for these idiots, there's no doubt Gaara's family will too."

He squeezed her hand once more before dropping it and stepped away nonchalantly. Koharu relaxed and rang the doorbell. _This is going to be a very interesting night._

Behind the door, Gaara let out a breath and turned to his siblings. "Listen, just one last reminder… Even if you hate them, pretend you don't."

"We got it the first ten times, Gaara. We'll play nice," Temari smirked.

Kankuro smiled slyly and began moving his fingers around, showing his chakra threads. "Maybe…"

Temari rolled her eyes and whacked him on the back of the head, causing the two to start bickering.

"This is going to be a disaster," Gaara muttered to the side.

He turned back to his siblings and tried to remain collected. "If you two don't stop arguing, I will sand coffin you both. Got it?"

The puppet master and the blonde stopped yelling at each other when they heard the doorbell ring. Nervously, Gaara opened the door to see Itachi, who looked almost as stressed as he felt. When the redhead saw Manami peek her smiling face through the door, he began to calm down.

Gaara scanned the group. "Unfortunately, I see _all of you_ have made it."

He opened the door all the way, allowing the rest of the group to file in one by one. Minato in first, almost knocking over Gaara, followed by Kushina and the rest of the group.

Minato walked over to Temari and Kankuro and held his hand out for them to shake.

"Hi, I'm Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you," he greeted, showing his award-winning smile. "Neither of you look like Gaara. Has anyone told you that? I'm sure a lot of people have told you that. Speaking of telling people things, did you know Gaara didn't tell me he had siblings? And to think we could have never met! I would like-"

Irritated, Kushina cut off her boyfriend to keep him from rambling on more. "Minato! What did I just tell you, ya know!"

She looked over at the two, who were both wide-eyed. "I'm sorry for his rambling, I'm Kushina Uzumaki!"

Itachi smiled and introduced himself, shaking both of the siblings' hands.

Kankuro nodded as he shook his hand. "Ahh Uchiha, I've heard of you. You must be very proud of your clan."

Itachi chuckled. "I'm as proud as you are of your father."

 _And knowing how tough the Kazekage is on his kids, that should show them exactly how I feel about my clan,_ the Uchiha thought to himself.

Kankuro gulped and Temari solemnly nodded. Sai decided to follow Itachi in the introductions and stepped up.

"My name is Sai. It's not a pleasure meeting you, and I hope we never see each other again," he finished with a smile.

Hearing Sai's greeting, Gaara began to choke and started coughing like he did the day before while Minato started laughing.

Shikamaru, who was standing behind Sai, spoke up on his behalf. "I'm so sorry for him… He's not very good at the whole 'meeting new people' thing, but once you get to know him, he's a good guy."

Impressed by the boy in front of her, Temari began looking Shikamaru up and down and smirked. "And you are?"

Gaara, who finally stopped coughing, shot his sister a look. _I wasn't expecting her to be that bold…_

Shikamaru chuckled. "Don't be so troublesome, I was getting to that."

Gaara whipped his head toward Shikamaru, planning to say something, when Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder trying to smooth things out.

"That's Shikamaru Nara, and I'm Kakashi Hatake," the copy ninja greeted, eye-smiling.

Temari shook his hand. "Hmm, Shikamaru and Kakashi… I'll remember you two," she winked.

Kankuro scoffed at his sister, shaking Shikamaru's and Kakashi's hands also.

"I'm Koharu Hachidori, and I know for a fact that I'm the most sane one here," Koharu sighed, glancing behind the two siblings to look at the group.

She focused back on Temari and Kankuro and smiled. "Nice to meet you!"

Temari shook her hand, grinning mischievously. " _Finally_ , another girl! Glad I'm not alone."

Offended by the blonde's statement, Kushina's hair started to rise, catching Minato's attention. Minato rushed over to Kushina and tried to calm her down.

Gaara sighed. "I said play nice, Temari," he mumbled.

Kankuro took Koharu's hand and then turned to whisper to Temari. "You forgot about the red-headed one."

Temari smirked at the accusation and whispered back. "I didn't forget."

Not wanting to be forgotten too, Manami coughed and Gaara turned to his siblings.

"This is the one I told you guys about. This is Manami," he introduced, giving them a look that clearly told them to stop with the jokes.

Manami smiled. "You told them about me? I sure hope you kept _some_ things to yourself about us!"

She turned and winked at Gaara, causing him to blush furiously.

Temari laughed. "Any girl that can make Gaara turn that shade of red is good in my book."

Kankuro smirked and eyed Manami up and down before whistling. "You sure choose well, Gaara."

Gaara's face returned to his usual shade and he scratched the back of his neck.

"Actually, Manami kind of chose me," he said, grinning.

Temari chuckled and Manami decided she should head over to where Koharu was. Before she left, she turned to face the puppet master.

"Oh, and Kankuro, the next time you whistle at me… I won't be so forgiving," she threatened, flashing him a sinister smile.

Kankuro face paled, causing Temari to burst out in laughter. Gaara quietly chuckled at his girlfriend's warning.

Kakashi, once again trying to smooth the night over, cleared his throat. "Why don't we go sit down?"

Everyone nodded, except Sai, who shook his head before following the rest into the dining room.

"I can wait to eat, I bet the food will be horrible," Sai smiled, licking his lips.

* * *

A/N: Kankuro is a lil bitch. But Sasuke is the biggest lil bitch out there. -Ritsu


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Disclaimer: Naruto is still a no for us. Mio always runs away from my hugs :( I don't understand why? If you saw my hugs you would want one. -confused Yui (I don't run away from her hugs but I do have to mentally prepare myself for them. They're… Strange. -Ritsu)

* * *

The host club all shuffled into the dining room and sat around the table. Gaara took the seat at the head of the table knowing he was the one connecting the two groups together. On either side of him sat Manami and Temari. Koharu sat by her best friend followed by Kakashi, Itachi, and Sai. Shikamaru made sure to get the seat next to Temari, followed by Minato and Kushina, then finally Kankuro.

Minato looked around the table. "This looks absolutely delicious," he smiled, before digging in.

The host club followed Minato's lead, each focusing on their food. Koharu stole a glance at Kakashi and noticed he wasn't eating.

She smirked. _He doesn't want to take his mask off in front of everyone._

Kakashi noticed Koharu's smug look and spared an annoyed glare her way before looking back down at the bowl of ramen in front of him.

 _I don't know what to do, the moment I try to eat everyone will be paying attention to try to catch me without my mask on…_

Kakashi's stomach growled. He looked back at Koharu, silently pleading for her to do something so he can eat. She sighed.

 _He owes me one._

Koharu began looking around the room for a way to distract the others. When her eye caught onto a little bird painting in the corner of the room, she thought of the perfect plan.

 _Aha! Maybe Hiko can help me out._

The kunoichi let her napkin fall to the ground and quickly went after it. Under the table, she wove hand signs to summon her tiny friend.

 _Sorry everyone,_ she thought as she pressed her palm to the ground.

A second later, Hiko showed up under the table waiting for directions from his summoner.

"I need you to create a distraction," Koharu whispered.

The bird nodded in understandment as Koharu got back up from beneath the table and sat back down in her seat. A moment later, Hiko zoomed out into the room, startling everyone at the dinner party.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows, looking away from Temari for the first time that night. "W-what? Is that yours, Koharu?"

"KOHARU! YOU'RE RUINING FAMILY BONDING TIME!" shouted Minato across the table.

Kushina rolled her eyes at the man next to her. "You do realize this isn't your family… right?"

Minato pouted in his seat while Koharu chuckled quietly at the situation before them. She put on a straight face and turned to Minato.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even see a bird," she accused.

While the rest of the room was occupied figuring out where the mysterious bird came from, Kakashi pulled down his mask and slurped down his food. Koharu quickly stole a look at Kakashi as he finished his food and pulled his mask back up.

 _Still such a shame…_

After Kakashi gave her an approving glance, Koharu unsummoned her bird. When everyone saw that it was finally gone, they calmed down and took a moment to process it.

Kushina was the first to speak up when she saw that Kakashi had already finished eating. "Wait, what? Kakashi, how did you already finish your bowl?"

"Isn't it humanly impossible for one to eat food that quickly," Sai added.

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and eye smiled. "While you guys were too busy worrying about a small bird, I decided to actually eat my meal."

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"What a drag…" he muttered to himself.

Quietly, the group began to eat again. They listened to the sound of spoons clanking against bowls before Itachi broke the silence.

"So where do you guys live right now? Gaara mentioned he lived alone?"

Kankuro opened his mouth to respond before Temari stopped him. "Close your mouth Kankuro you still have food in it!"

Shikamaru chuckled at the girl next to him. _Finally, someone else with manners._

Temari continued talking for her brother. "Well, Kankuro and I are both in Sunagakure University. He's a first year and I'm a third year, so Kankuro lives on campus and I have an apartment near the college."

Shikamaru turned toward Temari and tried to sound as uninterested as possible. "Who do you share it with? Your boyfriend?"

The female sand sibling laughed at Shikamaru's mini interrogation. "Well someone's being straightforward… but to answer your question, no, I live alone."

The shadow ninja smiled and continued the conversation with Temari, eager to learn more. Gaara noticed the two obviously flirting and became more and more frazzled as he watched the two interact.

Manami noticed that Gaara was uncomfortable with the situation and placed a hand on his giving it a reassuring squeeze. Gaara took a big breath and relaxed, squeezing Manami's hand back.

On the other side of the table, Minato, who was now done with his food, took the liberty of turning to Kushina.

"Do you think it would be rude to ask for more?" he asked quietly with a pleading sparkle in his eyes.

Kankuro overheard him and shook his head. "Just go get yourself another bowl. No one cares what you do."

Minato deflated at his comment but got up to get another bowl anyways. The yellow-haired man turned to Kakashi, who was still sitting there with an empty bowl.

"Want me to get you more too, Kakashi?" asked Minato.

"NO! I mean… I'm full, but it was really good," he answered quickly.

Koharu tried to hold in her laughter from his outburst. Sai looked over at her and cocked his head to the side.

"Are you alright, Koharu? You seem to be making some unnatural noises? Are you choking?"

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi hit Koharu on the back, knowing she was laughing at him. The sudden slap caused her to actually begin choking and coughing.

"She's fine," Kakashi replied, smiling. "I fixed it."

Koharu reached for her water and took a long drink from it. When she finally suppressed her coughs, she turned and glared at the copy ninja,

who just eye smiled at her.

Annoyed by his smugness, Koharu kicked Kakashi under the table. Kakashi, taken by surprise and unexpected pain, loudly swore for everyone to hear.

The group turned in the pair's direction when they heard Kakashi's second outburst for the night.

"What happened? Are you okay, Kakashi?" Koharu asked, turning to the man next to her with an innocent look on her face before smirking.

Kakashi cleared his throat and put on his usual lazy facade. "Sorry about that, I just remembered I left something on at home."

The group gave him a weird look before chuckling and picking up where they left off before Kakashi caught their attention.

* * *

A/N: I was sick while writing this, don't ya just love sinus infections! -Yui


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Yui tries to hug me but I run away. If you saw it you would understand. -Mio

* * *

After they were done eating dinner, everyone scattered throughout the house relaxing and talking on their own. Temari and Shikamaru sat alone in a spot in the corner of the room.

"So you said your last name was Nara, right?" Temari asked.

"Well actually, Kakashi said that, but yes," Shikamaru replied.

Temari nodded and looked away for a second before continuing. "So that means you're the same Nara kid who's famed for his intelligence then?"

Shikamaru sighed and broke his gaze on Temari. "What a drag… I don't know if I would say _famed_ , but yes that's me."

Trying to look unimpressed, Temari played with a pen in her hand. "So, you wouldn't mind playing a quick game of Shogi with me… now would you?"

The shadow ninja let out a breath. He had never lost a game of Shogi and he doubted this time would be any different.

"I suppose we could play one game… If you'll quit being so troublesome," he smirked.

"Well for someone so troublesome, you seem to be paying a lot of attention to me."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Let's just play."

As they were setting up, Temari thought of a way to put a spin to the game. "To make this more fun, let's add a little wager. If you win, I'll leave you alone and quit being so 'troublesome,' but if I win, you have to take me out on a date."

Shikamaru smiled and put out his hand. "It's a deal."

The two shook hands and the game began.

* * *

"I can't believe I lost," Shikamaru gaped, staring at the board.

Temari smirked. "I can! You're not _that_ good… You made bad decisions from the very beginning."

Shikamaru looked up from the board and shot her a defensive look. "WHAT! No I didn't! That was strategized perfectly."

Temari smiled slyly and leaned back in her chair.

"Well, sorry to continue being troublesome, but I believe you owe me a date," she reminded, crossing her arms.

Still in shock, Shikamaru could only stare at Temari as he tried to process what just happened. The blonde laughed at the shadow ninja's disbelief and got up.

"You can pick me up at 7 tomorrow, and don't be late, deer boy," she called from behind her shoulder.

Groaning, Shikamaru shook his head, but a slight smile crept onto his face. He stood up to find Koharu.

 _I need to at least beat someone tonight._

* * *

As everyone began to leave for the night, Minato turned to Gaara.

"Seeeee! I told you they would love me," the yellow-haired ninja bragged.

Minato turned to the sand siblings to shake their hands and say his goodbyes before grabbing Kushina's hand and heading out the door. The next person to leave was Sai, who turned to the group before following Minato.

"Tonight was terrible. I hope you can learn to cook better if there is a next time, which I hope there won't be."

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose then turned to the two siblings and smiled. "I'm terribly sorry about him. He just doesn't understand manners. It was a pleasure meeting you and I hope we will meet again in the future."

Following the Uchiha were Kakashi and Koharu, who walked out the door laughing. Before they departed, they turned to Gaara one last time.

"Thanks for dinner, Gaara. It was a lot of fun," Koharu commented.

Kakashi nodded. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of each other in the future."

The pair waved to Temari and Kankuro and continued walking away from the house. As they headed their separate ways, Koharu turned around to Kakashi.

"Oh, don't forget to turn that _thing_ off when you get home," she smirked before taking off.

As Shikamaru made his exit, Temari grabbed his arm.

"I'm a fan of barbeque, by the way," she whispered before letting him go.

Shikamaru smiled and broke away from the sand kunoichi's grip.

"Troublesome woman," he teased.

Gaara watched the two smile at each other but before he could stress out, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Tonight was great Gaara… Thank you for letting me meet your family," Manami whispered into his ear.

Gaara turned around and smiled, returning the hug. "They really liked you… can't say I'm surprised though."

Manami pulled out of the hug. "Of course they did! I wasn't worried."

Manami winked and started to walk toward the door. Before she could make it all the way out, Gaara reached out and grabbed her arm, kissing her goodnight.

"Don't forget… We gotta keep some things to ourselves, Gaara," she smiled, closing the door behind her.

Gaara sighed and grinned to himself. _How did I get this lucky?_

When he turned back around, the sand ninja was greeted by wide-eyed pair of siblings.

"I never thought I'd see the day…" Temari said, trying to harass her little brother.

Gaara shrugged and walked into room, chuckling.

Kankuro shook his head. "Yeah.. and I never thought our little brother would find a girlfriend before I did."

As Gaara headed to his room, he waved a hand in the air.

"Good night."

* * *

A/N: I honestly love Shikamaru and Temari. Shikadai is adorable in real Naruto. -Mio


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. :/ The tissue box did save Yui's life. She rode with Mio and not me because she had it in her car. On our way to a friend's house I got in a really bad car wreck, and flipped my car. I was distracted for a second, and when I realized it, it was too late, and my car wouldn't respond to what i was doing. My foot was flat on the breaks, but it didn't stop it as I went over a median and cleared oncoming traffic. My car finally stopped, when it flipped on the sidewalk. My wheel worked, just not the pedals… apparently. RIP Sally, my car. -Ritsu

* * *

It was another normal day at the Host Club, but instead of socializing, Koharu found herself yet again engrossed in a book. Kakashi looked over to see her lost in the story but decided to walk over to her anyway.

Kakashi towered over Koharu and her book and attempted to grab her attention. "So, Koharu… Koharu?"

"...Yeah, sounds like a good idea, Manami," Koharu mumbled, not looking up from the page.

Kakashi looked at her questioningly, and sat down next to her. He peaked over her shoulder and tried to read the book she was focused on.

 _What is so interesting she isn't even pretending to pay attention? Maybe it's like the book at her party…_

Koharu felt someone looking over her shoulder and snapped her book shut. She turned to the the culprit, "Manami what do-"

Realization struck as she noticed the copy ninja sitting next to her instead of her friend. "Oh."

Kakashi leaned back and smirked. "Oh? That's all I get? Sorry I'm not Manami."

Koharu rolled her eyes and started to open her book again when Kakashi put his hand on the cover, stopping her from going back to the novel.

"Actually, I have a question for you, Koharu."

"I'm listening."

"Remember when I mentioned you coming over to my apartment?"

Koharu nodded, encouraging Kakashi to continue. "Well what about Friday night? I mean… if you're free…"

Koharu beamed at the request and began to open her book again.

"I'm always free if it's for you, Kakashi."

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck as relief washed over him.

Koharu broke away from her book again. "Is seven okay? I have a few things I need to take care of before."

"Seven sounds good to me," the silver-haired ninja said as he got up from his seat.

As Kakashi walked away, he turned around to her one last time. "I'll introduce you to Mr. Ukki!"

Koharu raised her eyebrows in confusion as Kakashi left.

"Mr. Ukki?" she muttered to herself, but quickly dismissed the thought and continued reading.

* * *

Kakashi walked around his apartment a little frazzled, trying to make sure everything was in order.

 _Everything has to be perfect. I can't have anything out of place._

He rarely let anyone come over since he loved his privacy, and he sure couldn't have people touching his books. The only people that had come over before were Minato and Kushina on the rare occasion.

Kakashi looked over at the clock in the kitchen. _Only an hour until she's here._

"It'll be fine. I can do this," he said to himself.

* * *

Koharu walked up the steps to Kakashi's apartment and took a deep breath, straightening her dress one last time.

 _Why am I so nervous? It's just Kakashi… I need to calm down._

Kakashi ran his hands through his gravity-defying hair and began to head to the door to make sure everything looked good from the outside.

 _She's running a little late… This isn't helping my nerves._

In unison, Kakashi opened the door as Koharu's hand was about to knock, and the two awkwardly came face to face.

Koharu swayed a little, caught off balance, but Kakashi placed his hands on her hips to steady her.

"You're late," Kakashi greeted with a tiny smirk.

"I wonder where I picked that up from," Koharu retorted.

The pair smiled at each other before zoning back in. When Kakashi realized his hands were still on Koharu's hip, he let go and stepped aside.

"Ehh… do you want to come in?" he offered.

"Well it _was_ getting a little cold outside," she teased with a wink.

Koharu stepped in and finally got the chance to look around the place. Kakashi began to lead the way but stopped when he noticed Koharu inspecting the area.

"Sorry if it's a mess… I know it's not very big, plus, I never have visitors here."

"A mess? Kakashi, if you think this is a mess, I would like to apologize for the state of my house every time you've seen it," Koharu chuckled.

Kakashi smiled and continued to show her around. As they passed the kitchen, Koharu's stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch time.

"So, what's for dinner?" she asked.

The silver-haired ninja laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Well… I wasn't looking forward to poisoning you with my cooking abilities, so I don't exactly have food ready."

Koharu chuckled at him. "Don't worry about it. I've picked up some cooking skills without Jiraiya here. Besides, I wouldn't mind getting a little messy with you!"

Kakashi blushed slightly but smiled at her comment. Koharu smirked at his blushing and grabbed his hand, leading him into the kitchen.

"Well I'm already late, let's not waste anymore time!"

* * *

A/N: These next few chapters are glorious. I love them. -Ritsu


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Yui forgot to do a disclaimer so I'm taking over. I used to dress up like Pikachu when I was little because Pokemon was my life. -Mio

* * *

About an hour after Koharu's arrival, Kakashi and Koharu began cooking their dinner in Kakashi's kitchen. They spent nearly half an hour just trying to figure out where everything was, but eventually Koharu began maneuvering her way around the kitchen better than Kakashi did.

"Hey Kakashi, are your-" said Koharu as she pulled out a drawer by the sink. "Never mind I found it."

She grabbed a chopping knife from the drawer and moved to shut it when something else caught her eye.

"Kakashi… Why are there kunai in the knife drawer?" Koharu questioned.

Kakashi turned around from the stove to see Koharu holding up one of his old kunai that he hadn't used in a while.

"Well, they're knives, aren't they?" the copy ninja retorted.

Koharu rolled her eyes and put the kunai back, shaking her head.

"I guess you're not the sharpest _knife_ in the drawer," she joked.

"And I guess I'm the one with a better sense of humor," he quipped with a scoff.

Koharu playfully hit Kakashi before continuing to cook. She threw in a pinch of herbs into the soup and stirred.

"Almost done… Just have to let it sit for a while longer…"

* * *

When their meal was finished, the pair set the table and sat down to have a taste of their creation.

Kakashi removed his mask, setting it on the table. _No need for this anymore, Koharu's already seen my face._

The grey-haired ninja smirked, thinking back to Koharu's birthday party, but grabbed a spoon and joined her in trying the soup.

"Well I must say, I'm a pretty good cook," Koharu commented, grinning at her partner across the table.

"Eh, I've had better," teased Kakashi.

Koharu rolled her eyes at the man but continued to eat. Kakashi laughed at how easily she could get irritated sometimes.

"Kidding. It's delicious, Koharu."

"I know it is. Don't sound so surprised."

As the night went on, the two lovebirds found themselves chatting and laughing about nothing and everything. Occasionally, Koharu would find herself staring at Kakashi unconsciously.

At one point, Kakashi caught her in the act and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Well no… there's nothing _on_ your face," she looked away from him.

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her confused. _Then what?_

The brunette sighed and looked up, noticing he wasn't getting it. "It's a shame you hide such a beautiful face from everyone, but I guess I don't need other girls fawning over you."

The copy ninja put his hand over his face, causing Koharu to pout a little.

"You know I should be the one worried about people staring at you… I have an extra mask you can have," he suggested.

Kakashi tried to keep a straight face as he made his offer but couldn't help cracking a smile. He looked so silly that Koharu started laughing too.

 _I can't believe this is the same Kakashi I met in the bookstore months ago…_ she thought to herself.

Once they both finished their plates, Kakashi stretched back and pat his stomach.

"Well as much as I would like to take credit… Thank you, Koharu."

Koharu smiled as she stood up, grabbing their plates. "It was fun."

Koharu started rinsing off the dishes, while Kakashi grabbed the pot of soup that had been sitting on the stove to put it in the fridge. She turned around quickly, causing the dripping wet rag in her hand to spread all over the floor.

"Hey Kakashi, where do you-"

Not noticing that the floor was now wet, Kakashi spun around to look at Koharu, but the slippery floor caused him to lose his balance and skid. The pot of soup he was holding flew out of his grip and landed all over the two of them.

"Shit! I am sooo sorry, Koharu, I should have looked where I was walking. Are you okay?"

"No, it's fine, Kakashi! It's my fault. I shouldn't have been holding the rag over the floor…"

Both ninjas grabbed some towels and began to clean up the mess. By the time they were done, all the soup that was once on the floor, was now on them.

Koharu looked down at her stain-ridden clothes. _I feel so gross…_

She looked up to see Kakashi looking down at himself too, and held in a laugh. She tried to stand up, but slipped from the slimy soup left over on her. Kakashi reached up and grabbed her before she could completely fall.

The silver-haired ninja snickered looking at Koharu. "Careful, Koharu. The floor might be wet."

Sarcasm dripped from his voice, and the kunoichi rolled her eyes.

"Well, I guess this isn't the first time we've made a mess in a kitchen," Koharu chuckled.

Kakashi laughed as he helped the two of them off of the floor. "We both need to clean up… You can go ahead and take a shower in my room upstairs. It's the only bathroom I have. I'll finish up in here."

Koharu nodded and walked toward Kakashi's room. She made her way into his bathroom and grabbed a towel, turning on the water.

* * *

A/N: I hope u guys are prepared for the next chap because DAMNNNN -Yui


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Disclaimer: I almost caught a CP 790 Tangela today on Pokemon Go. It ran away. I'm so sad. I'm also sad we don't own Naruto. -Mio

* * *

As Koharu stepped into the shower, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

 _Even though it feels nice to get this food off of me, it feels kind of weird showering in Kakashi's bathroom with him just outside the door._

When she rinsed the last of the soup out of her hair, Koharu turned the shower off and grabbed a white robe hanging on one of the hooks in the bathroom. She opened the door, ruffled her hair, and smiled at Kakashi.

"Your turn."

Kakashi paused and stared at her for a second before smiling and walking in. _Even when wet she looks almost angelic in that white robe._

Koharu watched as Kakashi entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

 _Well, dang… I don't have another set of clothes. I guess I'll just stay in this thing._

The now soaked ninja looked at herself in a mirror in Kakashi's room and started to mess with her hair. _Eh, whatever. I wonder what all Kakashi has in his room._

Koharu began to peruse the room, looking at all the different items sitting out. She walked over to the window sill above his bed and saw a healthy-looking plant with a name tag.

"Mr. Ukki," she said aloud, smiling. "So that's what he was talking about."

Moving around the room some more, Koharu noticed that Kakashi had several pictures sitting out. She stopped at a picture of a young Kakashi standing with an older man who looked a lot alike.

 _That must be Sakumo, Kakashi's father…_

Next to the picture of his dad was a picture of a young boy with orange goggles and a brown-haired girl with purple markings on her face.

 _And Obito and Rin,_ she continued in her head.

Next to the two pictures was a few group photos from the host club.

Koharu picked up the picture of Kakashi's former teammates and couldn't help but smile at little Kakashi and his friends.

 _He's been through so much and yet he's still so kind-hearted… I just hope I can help make the pain a little better._

As Koharu set the photo back down, she heard the bathroom door click open. She turned around to see Kakashi in a white towel wrapped around his waist, hair dripping wet and body still hot from the shower.

"Ehh… sorry. I forgot to grab clothes to change into," Kakashi said as he walked into the room.

Taken aback by the view, Koharu stared longingly at the man in front of her. Kakashi chuckled at the look on her face.

"Like what you see, _Koharu_?" he joked.

With every second, Koharu could feel the urge to touch his skin grow.

 _It's really not fair for him to come into a room looking like this._

Not wanting to wait any longer, Koharu slowly began walking up to Kakashi and stopped when she was within a few inches from his face. She raised her hand up to touch his cheek with the back of her hand, feeling his soft and maskless face that was still warm from the shower.

Kakashi met her hand with his own and leaned into her touch. Koharu then placed her free hand on the back of his head and pulled him in for a deep kiss.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Kakashi breathed.

Koharu smiled and pulled him back in for another kiss. The kisses, soft and slow at first, began to deepen, becoming more heated. When things started to get intense, Kakashi picked Koharu up and walked them over to the bed.

Kakashi laid Koharu down and climbed on top of her, their hands continuing to explore each other. They eventually pulled apart, Kakashi still on top of her.

"Is Jiraiya home?" he asked softly.

Koharu looked at him strangely, but slowly responded. "No, he's on a mission."

"Stay here tonight, Koharu," he encouraged.

Koharu's eyes widened. _Stay here? Alone with Kakashi?_

Kakashi noticed her reaction and continued to explain. "I-I'm not saying anything _has_ to happen tonight, but I haven't slept as good as I did since the night of your birthday."

The kunoichi looked away from Kakashi, still unsure. "I don't even have clean clothes to wear home Kakashi... I don't know."

There was a short pause before Kakashi spoke up again.

"All the more reason to stay. I'll wash it tonight and it'll be clean for you to wear home," he offered, eye smiling.

Koharu looked back at Kakashi, then down at her outfit. "Well you can't expect me to sleep in this robe… I need _something_ to sleep in."

He chuckled and nodded, "I'll give you a t-shirt or something of mine, Koharu."

The brunette stayed silent for a few seconds, running the idea over in her head. The more she thought about it, the more pleasing it began to sound.

Finally, Koharu pushed herself up on her elbows, giving herself more leverage. She wrapped her legs around Kakashi's waist and flipped him over so that she was now straddling him.

Kakashi, wide-eyed by Koharu's brave action, didn't have time to process what was happening before Koharu pulled him into another deep and passionate kiss.

"Alright," she whispered.

* * *

A/N: The episode where Kakashi was unmasked came out the day after we wrote this chapter. The scene was my idea and there was a white towel in Kakashi's bathroom in the episode, so I'm basically psychic. -Mio


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Disclaimer: On the streets I'm known for my sass and hairflips. If only we were so lucky to own Naruto. Don't worry about it, Ritsu.

* * *

The light from the window shined onto Koharu, making her groan.

 _Wh-what? Why is it so bright?_

When Koharu tried to roll out of bed, she found herself unable to move due to a mysterious weight draped across her waist. She panicked and trashed around, trying to escape.

Kakashi, feeling Koharu fidgeting around, groaned and pulled his counterpart closer to him.

"Koharu, would you quit moving around? It's just me," Kakashi said, voice raspy from just waking up.

Comforted by the familiarity of her surroundings again, Koharu sighed and turned around to face Kakashi, laughing lightly.

"What time is it? I should probably leave soon."

Kakashi opened up his normal eye and grumpily sighed. "I don't know Koharu… Like 8?"

The brunette lifted her head up to look at the clock. _It is not this bright at eight a.m._

Koharu's eyes widened and she pushed herself up.

"K-Kakashi! Get up! It's noon!"

"Ugh Koharu, that's still so early. Let's just go back to sleep."

The sleepy ninja rolled over, hoping to get more sleep. Before he could close his eyes again, Koharu smacked him with a pillow.

"Kakashi! I can't just stay here all day, you know."

The kunoichi waited for a response that never came. She sighed and began to think about last night.

"W-w-wait… You did wash my dress last night, right?"

Kakashi shot up from his pillow, his bedhead obvious now.

 _Crap, I fell asleep before I could wash it!_

Exasperated, Koharu fell back onto the bed and sighed. "I thought so."

The grey-haired ninja looked over at Koharu and scratched the back of his neck, laughing nervously.

"M-maybe you could just wear my shirt. I mean you don't live that far… and it looks pretty good on you," he finished off with a smirk.

Koharu attempted to throw another pillow at him but Kakashi quickly dodged it.

"Just walk home quickly. No one will say anything, Koharu."

"Well, don't jinx me, Kakashi! Ugh, even if they don't say anything, word will still get around, knowing my luck."

Kakashi looked at Koharu for a second, then got up and started rummaging through one of his dresser drawers. He pulled out a pair of his ninja pants and tossed it at her.

"This is the smallest pair I have," he said.

She looked at the pants before begrudgingly grabbing them.

 _I can't believe he's making me wear these._

"Would it really be that bad if word got out that you were dating the _strongest, most handsome_ ninja in the village?" Kakashi joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"But I'm not dating Minato, I'm dating you," she retorted.

Kakashi deflated and turned around pouting. Koharu rolled out of bed and started to put on the baggy blue pants. "Don't look."

The copy ninja remained turned around, but chuckled. "I think we're a little past that, Koharu."

The brunette mumbled something under her breath, and Kakashi turned around to see Koharu struggling to keep his pants up. Even the t-shirt was sliding off her shoulders because it was so big on her.

Kakashi laughed. _I can't remember the last time I enjoyed someone's company this much._

He walked over to help Koharu, who glared at him in return. She tried to move away, but got tangled up and fell toward Kakashi.

Kakashi caught her and swooped her close to his chest. "I bet Minato's never done that."

After a short silence, Koharu looked up with a playful smile plastered across her face. "You're right, but I bet Minato would have remembered to wash my dress."

Kakashi smiled back and ruffled her hair. He let her go so she could attempt to finish putting on his clothes.

As Koharu gathered her stuff, a comfortable silence fell, and both were lost in their own thoughts.

 _Who was it he said he wanted me to meet?_

"So is your plant Mr. Ukki then?" she asked him.

Kakashi looked over at the plant on his windowsill. "Yes, that's Mr. Ukki. Unfortunately, I'm sorry to tell you that he is the love of my life, so you'll have to be okay with second best."

Koharu rolled her eyes playfully and sneered at the man. "Well, it's good to meet my competition then."

He looked back at her. "It's not a competition. There is a clear winner here."

With an eye smile, Kakashi left the room, only to find Koharu hot on his trail. They both started walking toward the front door, before she began protesting again.

"Woah woah woah, if it's that clear on who the winner is, I kinda wanna know."

"You know who the winner is, Koharu."

"Okay, but I want to hear you say it," she urged.

The copy ninja chuckled and reached for the doorknob, only to be stopped by the brunette leaning against the door. With a smirk, he leaned in toward Koharu, pulling her off the door. Taking advantage of the sudden weight lifted from the door, he yanked on the knob, and swung the door open.

"Remember what I said about not making eye contact, and no one will ask questions."

"W-wh-what? Just tell me, Kakashi."

Kakashi adjusted his shirt on Koharu that was falling off her shoulder. "I thought you couldn't stay here all day, Koharu."

She stumbled out of his apartment, still flustered. Kakashi leaned up against the door, amused. "Do I really have to say it?"

Koharu looked down at the ground and tried to hide her disappointment. "I-I guess you don't have to…"

The ninja smiled slightly and stepped forward, lifting up the kunoichi's chin to look at him.

"It's you, Koharu. It'll always be you," he said softly before lightly kissing her.

Kakashi stepped out of the way, and Koharu smiled at him.

"Now go home so I can go tell Mr. Ukki the bad news… And then maybe go back to sleep."

Koharu grinned and waved goodbye then started to make her way home.

 _You really are something else, Kakashi Hatake._

* * *

A/N: I understand Kakashi. I sleep later than noon most days, if I have a choice. Love always, Snorlax. I mean Ritsu. They're synonyms really.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Disclaimer: I'm team Mystic on Pokemon Go. What about you? No Naruto, no millions. Poor AF, Ritsu.

* * *

As Koharu walked through the village, she noticed people giving her side glances.

 _What are they staring at? Maybe I should have taken Kakashi's extra mask…_

Koharu sighed but kept walking. _Just a few more minutes and I'll be there._

She tried to pick up the pace to get to her house, avoiding eye contact with everyone she passed. When she finally arrived, she breathed a sigh of relief. She fumbled with her keys and pushed her door open to see she wasn't alone.

Sitting patiently on her couch was Manami who was staring at the doorway with a disappointed but also curious look on her face.

"M-Manami? What are you doing here?" Koharu asked.

Koharu shifted uncomfortably in her spot and tried to adjust the top and pants that were still struggling to stay on her.

"We had plans today… but apparently someone's been very…" Manami paused, looking her up and down. "... _busy._ "

When Koharu realized her mistake, she immediately started to feel guilty.

 _Oh no… I completely forgot we made plans. Manami rarely ever gets upset._

Koharu continued to think about what she could do to make it up to her friend, when something hit her.

 _What did she mean by "busy"? Does she know about…?_

She shook her head, trying to get the thought out. Keeping her head down, Koharu quickly left her friend and walked up the stairs to change.

There was a tense pause before Manami followed her upstairs. She stood in the doorway to her room tapping her foot.

"Well? Do you want to explain yourself? I didn't miss out on breakfast just to get silence from you, _Koharu._ "

Koharu looked over at her friend who was obviously furious, before opening a dresser.

"What exactly was the plan again? What should I change into?"

"Maybe clothes that are actually yours," the honey-haired girl glared back.

Koharu started coughing at the boldness and sheer audacity of her friend. She quickly grabbed whatever was on top of the drawer in her dresser to change into.

"Are you going to be like this the whole time?" Koharu sighed.

Manami stayed silent but continued glaring at her mess of a friend.

"Look Manami, I'm sorry I forgot we were doing something… I just got a little wrapped up in something."

The medic nin chuckled. "Or rather, _someone_."

Koharu looked up at Manami and sighed, leaning against her desk.

"If you're going to continue to assume things, we should talk."

With a dramatic sigh, Manami flung herself on her best friend's bed. "Finally!"

Slowly, Koharu made her way over to the bed and sat down. She opened her mouth, but before she could say something, Manami spoke up again.

"Start from when you and Kakashi first started dating."

The brunette's eyes grew and she whipped her head toward Manami.

"WHAT? HOW DID YOU KNOW?" she shrieked.

Manami smirked, "I just have a knack for picking up these things. Besides, you're my best friend, Koharu. Aaand it kinda helps that the clothes you were wearing smelled like his cologne."

Koharu looked down at her bed, trying to hide a smile, but Manami caught it and tackled her into a hug.

"Ahhh! I knew it! Well, start talking! I think I've waited long enough."

Koharu leaned back, trying to remember exactly how it happened in the first place.

"Well, I guess it all started when…"

The brunette recalled the events of the past few months and began explaining what happened at the hospital, the memorial stone, her birthday, and then what happened on her date last night. When she finished, Manami was beaming with pride.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY FOUND SOMEONE! I ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WOULD DIE ALONE!" she yelled before tackling Koharu into another hug.

Koharu mockingly laughed at her friend and tried to squirm out of her grip. "Ha ha ha… Manami, I swear if you repeat anything I just told you to _anyone..._ "

Manami held her hands up in surrender. "Me? Gossip? No, no way," she smirked.

Koharu raised an eyebrow toward her friend before chuckling and continuing. "Hmm….. we've been talking so much about MY relationship but you won't get off the hook that easily. Want to tell me about yours?"

The medic nin smiled widely. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Manami told Koharu about her first date with Gaara and the night of Koharu's birthday.

"And I mean… I've always had crushes and flings but… he's different, Koharu. I think I really love him," she finished.

Koharu grinned at her friend. "I can't remember the last time we were this happy."

Manami laughed. "I don't think I've _ever_ seen you this happy… Tell Kakashi he has my blessing," she said with a wink.

The brunette rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the bed. "Come on, let's get going. I know a great place we can go for brunch."

As the two girls walked down the hallway, Manami tried to hide her dispersed giggles.

"What is so funny, Manami?"

"Oh it's nothing, Mrs. Hatake," she teased.

Koharu rolled her eyes and playfully hit Manami. They walked out the door, Koharu locking it behind them.

"Oh, and I hope you know you're paying for lunch. It's your punishment for ditching me… And besides, I bet you're pretty hungry after _such_ a work out last night _._ "

"S-stop thinking like that!" Koharu sprinted out the door, leaving Manami behind, dying of laughter.

* * *

A/N: "Mrs. Hatake." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm fine. I'm fine. -RitsWHO? Ritsu. Sorry, that was lame.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Disclaimer: I hate these. I always forget to do them, and then Mio & Ritsu yell at me. THEY'RE SO MEAN! oh & don't own Naruto still :/ -Princess Yui (She may be the princess but I'm the Queen. -Ritsu) (They're in denial. -Mio)

* * *

Later that same day, Kakashi found himself wandering around toward the training grounds. When he got there he turned to the targets and pulled out a few kunai to practice throwing.

As Kakashi tossed the first kunai, Minato flashed up behind him.

"Well aren't you here bright and early?" Minato called out.

Kakashi looked back at his friend but continued to throw another kunai.

"It's 2 in the afternoon, Minato. I wouldn't exactly say that's early."

"Well I'd say that's early for you, especially on a Saturday!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, I suppose that's true…"

"So… why are you up this early? I would have expected you to still be with Mr. Ukki," the yellow-haired ninja teased.

Kakashi threw another kunai, putting on his lazy demeanor.

"I was with Koharu."

The copy ninja tried to throw a shuriken but Minato quickly flashed in front of it and caught it with his finger.

"Hmmm? What's this? Something you want to tell me Kakashi?" the Yellow Flash interrogated.

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, "I just invited her over for dinner... that's all."

"THAT'S ALL? YOU DIDN'T LET ME STEP FOOT INTO YOUR HOUSE UNTIL OUR SECOND YEAR OF FRIENDSHIP!" Minato yelled, clearly pouting.

"Well, yeah… but you're Minato," he chuckled.

Minato pouted some more and crossed his arms. "People keep saying that..."

The copy ninja smirked and picked up another kunai. "I wonder why…"

Minato laughed and then looked his best friend dead in the eye. "Wait… if it was for dinner, then why were you still hanging out with her today?"

Kakashi looked away, not being able to hold eye contact.

Watching his reaction, Minato's eyes widened. "WAIT! IS SHE OKAY? WHAT DID YOU COOK? YOU KNOW YOUR COOKING IS QUESTIONABLE, KAKASHI! DID YOU POISON HER?!"

The silver-haired ninja laughed, "No, no, no. We did… something else.…"

The Yellow Flash paused for a second, relieved, but then realisation struck him. He gasped, rushing up to Kakashi.

"Kakashi Hatake, I swear if you hurt her in anyway, shape, or form I will-"

Kakashi quickly cut him off. "Minato, quit acting like this is a new concept. You have been dating Kushina for years now."

"BUT I NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD FIND LOVE, ESPECIALLY NOT WITH KOHARU! I'VE KNOWN HER FOR ALMOST MY ENTIRE LIFE!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi put his hand on top of Minato's mouth, trying to quiet him.

"Minato! Quit yelling! Everyone will hear you!"

In this second, Minato realized his two best friends were dating, and _he_ was the one that introduced them. The yellow-haired ninja beamed like a child in a candy store.

Minato puffed out his chest, pulling Kakashi's hand away from him. "You know, this was all thanks to my superior host club presidental skills."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I don't know about that… We didn't really like each other when you introduced us. I did this one on my own, Minato."

"Oh please, Kakashi. If I didn't know who that book bag belonged to you would have been searching for days."

There was a pause before Minato looked at Kakashi and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Regardless, I'm glad you found someone, Kakashi…"

"... But you can't tell anyone," Kakashi insisted.

"... I won't," replied Minato.

"I mean it," Kakashi urged on.

"I won't!" Minato promised.

Kakashi stared at his friend, seriousness etched across his face. "Not even Kushina."

"Not a word," Minato confirmed, but looked down as he said so.

As much as Kakashi wanted to believe his friend, he wasn't convinced.

" _Minato,_ I don't want word getting out that I might actually love someone."

Minato put his hands up in the air, trying to show some compliance. "Fine, fine… Wait, did you say love?"

"Just... don't tell anyone, okay? I'm trusting you," he shoved his hands into his pockets, ignoring Minato's question. "You're lucky I even told you."

"Come on Kakashi, have a little more faith in me!"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow but then returned to his usual lazy facade. "...Okay."

"Okay, well I told Kushina I would do some things for her so I'm gonna leave before I get a repeat of her wrath. See you Monday, _Kaka_ ," Minato grinned and walked away.

The copy ninja turned back to the target and pulled out another shuriken. Throwing it, he chuckled.

"Kaka? Who does he think he is?"

* * *

A/N: Of course Kakashi has Kunai in his knife drawer! I wonder what the others have in their drawers… I bet Minato has his pink apron somewhere ;) -ur favorite, Yui (We all know she has to tell herself she's the favorite. -Ritsu)


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Disclaimer: Ritsu painted me a red lemon when I was running for an officer position. Two years later we still have it and it's rock hard. We're cutting it open soon. -Mio

P. S. Don't ask why it's red….

* * *

Several days later, Koharu and Kakashi found themselves at school in a kiss that got _a little_ carried away. Koharu pulled away and put her hand on his chest pushing him away.

Between catching her breath, Koharu managed to shakily get a sentence out.

"As much as I would like to continue this, it isn't the time or the place…"

Kakashi chuckled. "We're already rather late as it is. We should get going."

When they walked into Room 222, the two made sure to walk in a good distance from each other, but everyone stared at them as they walked through the door. Before either of them could greet the host club, Sai opened his mouth.

"I do not know why you continue to hide it. Aren't you supposed to express love openly to others?"

Kakashi's eyes widened and he reached up to fix his hair thinking it just got messed up by their cute little make out session. Koharu spared a glare toward Manami before looking back at Sai.

"What are you talking about, _Sai_?" she growled.

"What a drag… Everyone here knows you two are… well… did…" Shikamaru tried to get the words out but couldn't find the right way to say it.

Kakashi walked over to sit next to Minato, trying to maintain his composure. He turned to Minato and spoke in his ear through gritted teeth.

"Minato… Didn't I tell you not to tell anyone. Especially. Not. The Host Club."

Over on the other side of the group, Koharu looked at her best friend.

"Manami, I have a feeling you're _mostly_ to blame here."

The medic nin quickly perked up, trying to defend herself.

"Don't be mad at me! I'm not the one who forgot our plans and came home in someone else's clothes."

Kakashi turned to Manami with wide eyes as Koharu visibly shook with anger at her comeback. Before Koharu could respond, Minato started trying to explain himself to Kakashi, frantically shaking his hands.

"W-well, you know I tell Kushina everything!"

Exasperated, Kakashi threw his hands in the air. "Minato! You said you wouldn't say anything to her!"

"Kakashi please! She was getting really upset because she thought I was hiding something, and I caved. You know I don't handle things well when she is mad!"

Manami quickly followed up Minato's excuse with her own. "A-and I can't keep things from Gaara, that is _not_ how you build a healthy relationship."

Sai nodded. "That's true, it says it right here in the book."

The medic nin and the Yellow Flash then had a moment of enlightenment, and made eye contact with each other. They both turn to Gaara and Kushina, now realizing it was one of them who spread it around.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU RED HEADS LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG?!" They shouted at the same time.

Kushina looked away and quietly confessed. "I may have told Itachi…"

Gaara turned red and looked at the ground, guilty. "Shikamaru asked me… And I'm not a good liar."

"Well in the book I'm reading, you guys fit the characteristics for people in a relationship. So, I turned to Minato for confirmation… he's the easiest to break," Sai added to the confessions.

Minato's mouth dropped open at the accusation.

"I AM NOT! IF ANYONE HAS THE BIGGEST MOUTH HERE IT'S MANAMI! AT LEAST I DIDN'T TELL YOU GUYS ABOUT THEIR DATE AT KAKASHI'S APARTMENT!"

The host club all turned toward the new couple and gaped at them.

"WELL GUESS WHO JUST TOLD EVERYONE ABOUT IT NOW, MINATO!" Koharu yelled.

"Apartment? He let you into his apartment? He doesn't even let us in there!" Shikamaru scoffed, in disbelief.

Kakashi groaned, aggravated with how everything had unfolded. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and pulled out _Icha Icha_ , trying to hide from this conversation.

Gaara turned to his girlfriend, shocked. "What happened?! You never told me anything, Manami!"

"Would you like it if I told everyone about your dates, _Gaara_?!" Koharu threatened.

Gaara's cheeks flushed, his eyes widening before he looked at the ground.

The Host club all broke out in yells, everyone trying to talk over someone else. The arguing spread, and soon the room was in total chaos. With a growing headache, and anger rivaling that of Kushina's, Koharu pulled out a chair and climbed on top of it.

"EVERYONE, SIT DOWN NOW!"

The group looked up at the angry kunoichi with wide eyes and quickly complied to her command.

 _I kinda like this side of Koharu…_ Kakashi thought, looking up from his book.

"Okay, LOOK," Koharu closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. She hopped off of the chair and continued.

"Well obviously this isn't how we wanted everyone to find out. However, because some people can't keep their mouths shut," Koharu shot a harsh glare toward both Manami and Minato. "We should clear a few things up."

Kakashi snapped his book shut and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his head up on his hands.

Koharu opened and closed her mouth several times trying to figure out exactly what to say. She sat down, and crossed her legs. "You start, Kakashi."

"Well... I guess it just sort of happened on its own, but I don't know why you are all so surprised. You were there at the beach."

Itachi, who had been silent this whole time, quickly jumped out of his seat.

"I KNEW IT! I mean…." he coughed, before sitting back down and continuing. "Anyone could have seen it coming."

Koharu glanced at Itachi before rolling her eyes. "Congrats on picking up on the obvious. A true making of a prodigy here."

The Uchiha looked at the ground and grumbled, "Yeah, well, at least I wasn't the loud mouth that told everyone."

Minato opened his mouth to defend himself, but when he saw Koharu scowling at him he sank back into his chair. Koharu looked around the room, searching for answers.

"What all did they actually tell you guys?" she asked.

"Well, I'm mostly interested about what happened at Kakashi's apartment," Shikamaru inquired.

Koharu and Kakashi looked at each other nervously and blushed.

"We made dinner and hung out, that's all," Kakashi said, trying to hide his apprehension.

Sai raised an eyebrow, "If that was all then you would not be blushing."

Koharu scratched her head, trying to find the will to actually talk about it in front of everyone. "Well, we spilled the soup… and uh… we had to clean it up… and uh…."

She paused, then finally gave in and sighed. "If you all weren't like family I would be a lot more upset about everyone knowing. But please, can we keep some things to ourselves?"

Kakashi shot Koharu a look but then leaned back and groaned, knowing it was better they found out this way anyways. Sai looked up and opened his mouth.

"Wait, there's nothing about soup in my book… Is anyone else concerned? Are you trying to tell us something, Koharu?"

Kakashi looked over at Sai, tired of everyone's questions and accusations. "Enough with the _damn_ book Sai. Koharu and I are dating. Simple as that."

"Hmph," Sai mumbled, closing his book. "Look who's talking."

There was another awkward pause before Koharu spoke up again. "As much as I would _love_ to stay, I really need to take a moment to decipher this chaos. I'll see you all later."

When Koharu was gone, Sai turned to Kakashi.

"Weren't you supposed to kiss her goodbye? That's what my bo- I mean that's what I've heard…"

"Alright, that's enough. I'm leaving too," Kakashi followed behind Koharu and out the door.

When the two lovebirds were finally gone, everyone relaxed, not realizing how tense they were. Minato and Manami breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced over to their partners. Kushina and Gaara both nervously scratched their heads and started apologizing.

"So… Is someone going to clear up what exactly happened? I'm still confused…"

The group collectively groaned, shaking their heads. Shikamaru stood up, putting his hands in his pockets.

"What a drag… You're so clueless when it comes to these things," the shadow ninja called back as he walked out.

"Well, I guess the Host Club doesn't have many plans today. We might as well leave," Itachi said looking around, noticing most of the group was gone.

The remaining ninja murmur in agreement, heading toward the door. Sai, however, decided to stay behind.

"There's gotta be something that can explain all this," Sai mumbled to himself as he flipped through pages. "I know it's here somewhere."

* * *

A/N: I was so glad when we got to this chapter because we finally had multiple people to talk about and we didn't have to keep coming up with other names for Kakashi and Koharu. -Mio


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. My name makes me think of Ritz crackers. I love Ritz with some Laughing Cow cheese, mmmmmm! But nothing beats popcorn. What's your favorite kiind of snack? -Ritsu

* * *

"Why did you agree to this, Kakashi?" Koharu complained as they walked through the village.

Kakashi sighed. "Minato just seemed so excited about it… I didn't even have a chance to say no!"

"Okay, but now Manami is going to want to have double dates, too."

The copy ninja chuckled, _I can't even imagine what Gaara is like on a date._

"Who knew we were so popular? Until a week ago no one even knew we were a thing."

"Yeah, well if we had it our way, no one would know still," Koharu pouted, crossing her arms. "Wait… where are we even going?"

Kakashi wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist as they walked. "Hey, them knowing isn't all bad… And uhhh…. well..."

Koharu stopped walking and turned to Kakashi. "Spit it out, Hatake."

He nervously laughed and scratched his head. "Minato may have said something about a hot spring?"

"KAKASHI!" Koharu yelped.

"Come on, Koharu, this could be a good opportunity to relax and have a little fun," Kakashi insisted.

Koharu sighed and cringed as she tried to explain herself to Kakashi. "Yeah, but… This is the same hot spring Jir- … my dad did his research at."

Kakashi cleared his throat and thought back to a few weeks ago. "I did see him heading there a few days before your birthday…"

 _Why was Kakashi at the hot springs?_

The brunette was about to question this, but before she could, they heard a voice coming from behind them.

"ARE YOU READY TO GO, LOVEBIRDS?!" Minato shouted toward them.

Koharu crossed her arms and shot the loud-mouthed ninja a glare.

"Minato, if you keep saying things like that, we aren't gonna go with you."

Before Minato could apologize, Kushina whacked him aside the head. "What did I tell you, ya know?"

Minato looked over at his girlfriend with a pout. "Be the least amount of you as possible," he mumbled as he looked at the ground.

Kushina had a proud smirk across her face, and Kakashi and Koharu laughed. Kakashi trying to silence his laughter as he reached out to pat his friend's shoulder.

The group began walking together and entered into the hot spring, Kushina and Koharu heading to the women's area, and Minato and Kakashi heading to the men's. As they went their separate ways, Minato turned his head around.

"Don't have too much fun without us!" he called back.

Koharu rolled her eyes and Kushina looked back over her shoulder.

"We probably will," the redhead teased.

The two girls giggled as they opened the door to the dressing room and got undressed. In the other changing room, the two ninja stripped down. They both wrapped a towel around their waists, and Kakashi covered his face with a washcloth.

Minato sighed at his friend's secretiveness. "You don't have to do that with me, Kakashi. I've seen your face."

Kakashi chuckled but didn't mess with the cloth. "Sorry, out of habit."

The two ninja headed into the steamy pool, both stripped of their clothing. Minato submerged briefly underwater, getting his hair wet before shaking it. When he got comfortable, he leaned back against one of the sides.

"You know, Kakashi, I have known Koharu nearly my whole life, and I can't think of anyone more perfect for her than you."

Kakashi hummed in response, enjoying the warm water. He opened one of his eyes slightly, looking at his friend. "And you never introduced us because?"

Minato sighed and slid more of himself into the water. "I guess because you both were so… so lonely. So isolated. I just thought… I don't know what I thought."

Kakashi closed his eyes again, shifting lower into the water, and both sat in silence. Minato broke the silence when he remembered what Kakashi had said to him earlier.

"So, when you told me earlier about not telling anyone about you two… were you serious?"

"Serious about what?" Kakashi mumbled, not moving from his relaxed state.

Minato lowered his voice, not wanting others to hear. "Do you really love her?"

Kakashi opened his mismatched eyes and stared at Minato before closing them again. "Well, to be honest, I hadn't really thought about it. It just kind of came out… but yes. _Undeniably_."

* * *

The two girls slipped into the pool, a constant chatter flowing between the two.

"Can you imagine him doing that? Do you see what I have to live with, Koharu?"

Koharu paused to think about what Kushina just told her.

 _I can't believe Minato wears a pink apron around the house… One of the most powerful ninja in the whole school, and he's still such a softie._

In the short silence, the two girls were able to overhear the boys conversation, despite Minato's "whispering."

" _Do you really love her?"_

Both of the girls stopped talking and waited for Kakashi to answer Minato. Koharu could feel the world slow down around her as the wait seemed to be interminable.

" _Undeniably."_

Kushina turned to Koharu, who was blushing a deep shade of red. The older ninja chuckled as she watched her friend's reaction.

"I'm starting to get use to seeing you this color! It's happened so much recently, ya know."

Koharu rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the goofy grin she wore. Kushina continued to stare at the brunette for a few seconds, trying to decipher what she was thinking.

"Well, how do you feel?"

The kunoichi looked over at the wall dividing the two baths. "Without a doubt, I feel the same."

She smiled again before she dunked herself underwater and ran her hands through her hair.

"I know what you mean. I couldn't imagine myself with anyone besides Minato. I've never met anyone as caring or loving as him, though he can be a real handful sometimes."

Koharu chuckled in agreement with her friend. "I'm really going to miss being able to see you both so often. You've been part of my life for a long time."

"Don't worry, Koharu. We will still be able to hang out just like this. Besides, I think you are in good hands," Kushina finished with a wink.

Koharu gave Kushina a light smile and sighed happily. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"KUUSHINAA? KUUSHINAAA!"

Both girls glared as Minato's harsh yell interrupted their deep conversation. Kushina's hair started to slowly rise around her.

 _Can I really never have a moment with someone else?_

"WHAT DO YOU WANT? I'M TRYING TO RELAX, YA KNOW!"

Minato seemed completely oblivious to Kushina's reaction, and continued in a chipper manner.

"Are you two ready to get out? I'm ready for dinner!"

Kushina rolled her eyes and looked over at Koharu. "Ya see what I mean?"

Koharu chuckled and nodded in agreement. Only a couple seconds later, an inhuman growl echoed throughout the spring.

The two girls made eye contact as their eyes widened. Kushina swam closer to the fence dividing the two pools.

"WAS THAT YOUR STOMACH, MINATO?"

"NO! That was Kakashi's," the defensive ninja pleaded.

There was a thud and a muffled squeak before the girls heard Minato's voice again.

"It was mine."

Koharu laughed, "We'll meet you guys in the dining hall."

* * *

After they ate, the group of four went their separate ways. Kakashi turned to Koharu looking for confirmation.

"See, that wasn't so bad!" he said.

The brunette smiled at Kakashi and leaned against him. She grabbed his hand, and they both continued to walk back home.

"No, I'd say it was pretty great. _Undeniably_."

Kakashi's eyes widened, and there was a short pause.

Koharu stopped walking and lowered her voice. "Did you mean it?"

Kakashi turned to his counterpart and smiled. He leaned in, lowering his voice to match Koharu's.

" _Without a doubt."_

Koharu could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she smiled wider than she ever had before. Smiling also, Kakashi closed the gap between them and gently kissed her. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

"I love you, Koharu."

"I love you too, Kakashi Hatake."

* * *

A/N: LOLOL, before we wrote this we all agreed it needed to be a filler chapter. It ended up being the most important chapter. We're weak and a disappointment to Masashi Kishimoto. -Ritsu


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Disclaimer: Ugh. Still don't own Naruto. I'm not MK :/ (our nickname for Masashi Kishimoto) -now Queen, Yui

* * *

After hosting a small event one day, the members of the host club were sitting around and relaxing, mingling on their own. It was nearing the end of April, meaning that graduation was just right around the corner.

There was a quiet and calm feeling in the air as the group got lost in their own thoughts. The silence was disrupted by Shikamaru who brought up what nearly everyone was thinking.

"You know… graduation is coming up soon…"

Everyone looked up from what they were doing and stared at the shadow ninja.

"You're right… We only have about a month left," Itachi pointed out.

"But if Minato, Kushina, and Itachi are graduating, what will that mean for the host club?" Sai looked around the room, looking for an answer.

Another silence enveloped the room as everyone began to think about what exactly would happen.

Minato noticed the once relaxed mood throughout the room had become a sad and somber one. Sitting up a little straighter, he tried his best to encourage everyone.

"Well you guys should continue even after we graduate. I mean the goal of this club has always been to make other people happy, and someone needs to continue the legacy."

Kakashi glanced up from his _Icha Icha_ book and turned to his friend. "But Minato, you brought us all together. You know it wouldn't be the same if you weren't around."

The group murmured in agreement before Kakashi continued.

"And plus, what would we do without Kushina keeping us in line? Or Itachi being the mom of the group?"

The Uchiha glanced at Kakashi in disbelief. "Since when am I the 'mom' of the group?"

Ignoring Itachi's question, Gaara kept pushing the problem at hand. "Also, no one in this group is as spontaneous as you are, Minato. Surely the guests would be bored without you here."

As everyone thought about the situation again, Koharu asked the question they were all thinking.

"So what does this mean?"

Kushina was the one who suggested the unthinkable. "Then maybe... Maybe it's best if we disband the host club after this year."

There was a pregnant pause in the room, everyone clearly saddened by the thought of there not being a host club after they graduate.

Minato sighed, breaking the silence once again.

"Well, we aren't done yet! Don't act so sad," Minato said, leaping out of his chair. "HEY! I HAVE AN IDEA!"

Shikamaru looked at the man questioningly. "And what is your troublesome idea, Minato?"

Minato sat back down, still beaming about his great plan. "Why don't we host one final event for the entire school? Anyone is welcome! If we don't go out with a bang, then we are not the Konoha High School Host Club!"

The group sat, silently contemplating their president's suggestion. Kushina looked up at him and smiled.

"That's actually not a bad idea, Minato! What if we hosted a masquerade ball, ya know?"

Minato turned to Kushina with a huge, goofy smile. "Did you just say one of my ideas wasn't bad?!"

The redhead chuckled and reached for her boyfriend's hand. "Don't push your luck, Minato."

"But how will we get enough money to host something for the entire school?" Kakashi asked, focusing on the logistics behind throwing a party that big.

The group slowly turned to look at Shikamaru, knowing the shadow ninja came from a wealthy family.

Shikamaru sighed and leaned back in his chair. "It will be troublesome, but my family can help start a couple of fundraisers around the school so we can raise money."

Minato leaped out of his chair once more, excited about the events that were to come. "This is so great! We are gonna have so much fun!"

Sai looked up from his book, over to Minato, and then to Kakashi.

"A masquerade ball? Nothing new for Kakashi, except now his eyes will be covered as well."

The group laughed at Sai's comment while Kakashi rolled his eyes.

The ex-ROOT member looked confused at the laughter but remained silent. _What is so funny? Why is everyone laughing?_

Manami, who had been surprisingly silent the whole time, clapped her hands together and looked at Koharu with a mischievous grin.

"Looks like we have some _shopping_ to do!" the medic nin exclaimed.

Koharu groaned. "Manami, please-"

Manami put a hand in the air to stop her friend. "I know you have nothing appropriate to wear. I've seen your closet."

Koharu rolled her eyes and shook her head, still smiling.

Minato grinned widely. "Let the festivities begin!"

* * *

A/N: I LOVEEEE ICE CREAM! I bet Manami would love ice cream too. Gaara would probably get sand in his and get mad :( My favorite flavour is chocolate, what about y'all? (This is America, Yui. F-L-A-V-O-R! Ugh I wish I was America Singer. Currently crying over fictional characters, Ritsu.)


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Where did Orochimaru's son come from? I've been so confused about this. -Mio

* * *

At the next Host Club event, Minato announced their plans to have a dance to their guests and told the girls to spread it around the school.

"We are also accepting donations and tips now in order to raise money," he added.

A flirtatious guest sitting next to Kakashi turned to him and grabbed his arm.

"Since it's a masquerade dance, does that mean you'll do the opposite and take _off_ your mask?" she asked, winking at him.

Overhearing the conversation, Koharu shot a look in their direction, and Kakashi smirked in return.

"Well maybe if you ladies are lucky, you just _might_ catch me without a mask," Kakashi replied, winking back at the girls.

The group of girls squealed and excitedly chattered, slipping money into Kakashi's jar. Koharu turned back to Shikamaru, who was watching amused, and then moved one of her pieces.

"Wow, Koharu, actually a smart move for once," the shadow ninja smirked.

Koharu laughed. "Yeah, well, I've been reading the book you got me. I'm determined to win at least once against you."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about the game. I was talking about the fact that you didn't go kill those girls over there," Shikamaru teased.

The brunette threw a Shogi piece at him and they both laughed. As the pair finished up their game, the last of the guests for the day left and the host club began cleaning up.

Koharu walked over to Kakashi and stood in front of the table we was wiping down.

"Really, Kakashi?" she asked the masked ninja, rolling her eyes.

"What? It's my job, Koharu. You know this," Kakashi replied, laughing. "Plus, if we want money, I need to step up my game a little."

Koharu looked at her boyfriend for a second and then smirked.

"Fine. I'll see what I can do about getting more guys to attend then", she sneered before quickly turning around and walking away.

A moment later, there was a knock on the Host Club doors, and Kushina and Minato walked over to check it out. When they opened the door, they were greeted by Nezumi, someone they recognized from the student council at the school.

"Hello, Kushina-senpai, Minato-senpai. I hear you guys are attempting to host a dance for the school and that you need money to help fund it."

"Oh, hi Nezumi! Yes, we are trying to raise some money for a school dance! We're trying our best in the short amount of time we have, ya know," Kushina smiled.

"The council would like to help you, if you would like. We are considering holding a rice ball-making contest and selling them to people. The earnings can go toward the dance!"

The couple smiled at the boy, glad to hear the news. "We would love that! It would be so helpful. Thank you!"

The council member waved his hands in the air. "No, thank you for hosting this dance. The school has been lacking in festivities for a while."

"It's no problem! We figured the entire school could use a fun event to unwind at the end of the school year," Kushina said.

"Yes, I agree!" Nezumi looked down at his watch. "Well, I have another event I need to get to, but I'll contact you later with more information about the contest! See you guys later!"

The council member waved goodbye, and Minato and Kushina turned back inside.

"I think the host club should submit a rice ball of our own, don't you?" Minato winked at his redheaded girlfriend.

Kushina looked at him and sighed. "Oh boy..."

 _This is going to be a disaster,_ she finished in her head.

* * *

A/N: Fun fact: The student council member is based off of one of our best friends. He doesn't know about this though. Shhhhh. -Mio


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Disclaimer: I love Criminal Minds. Spencer Reid is actually boyfriend goals. I love a good nerd. We don't own Naruto, or Criminal Minds. What shows do you like? Musicals? Movies? -Ritsu.

* * *

"KUSHINAAA! ALL OF MY RICE JUST SPILLED!" Minato yelled.

The yellow-haired ninja had told the Host Club about his bright idea of making a rice ball recipe, and he insisted that they all do it together in the kitchen inside of Room 222.

Itachi sighed and wiped his hands on his apron, upset Minato had messed up his concentration.

"Maybe we can still use it and people won't notice," Gaara suggested.

"What?!" Manami exclaimed while chunking grains of rice at him. 'How would you like it to eat rice off the floor?"

Kushina walked into the kitchen and looked around to see rice spread out around the room. "What happened in here? Who spilled all of the rice, ya know?"

Everyone pointed to Minato, who started frantically shaking his hands. He haphazardly pointed to Kakashi.

The silver-haired ninja sighed, shaking his head at his friend as Kushina slapped her boyfriend across the head.

"MINATO, THAT IS HALF OF OUR RICE, YA KNOW! ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?"

A loud clang caused the group's attention to avert from Minato to the source of the sound. Koharu, who was standing next to Kushina, made eye contact with a wide-eyed Sai.

 _How did he already get rice in his hair? And what's with that creepy, stressed out look?_

The rice-covered ninja turned around from his station. "SHIKAMARU IS RICH, HE CAN BUY US MORE RICE!"

Itachi put his hand on his forehead and turned to his younger friend. "You can't just point out people's financial situations, Sai."

The group sighed and shook their heads. Manami looked around the kitchen and noticed Shikamaru wasn't a part of the group. She glanced over at the couch and saw the missing ninja passed out on it.

"Even if he _would_ buy more rice, he's asleep. If one of you want to wake him and ask…"

Knowing it wasn't wise to wake a slumbering Shikamaru, everyone turned back to their stations to continue making their rice balls. Itachi, who indeed was a perfectionist, had already made 25 rice balls, none of which satisfied him.

"Itachi, you're wasting the little rice we have left," Gaara complained.

Koharu sighed. _I knew something like this was going to happen…_

She cleared her throat, trying to get the attention of the group. "GUYS! I assumed Minato would do something like this, so I bought a few extra bags."

Minato sighed in relief and started to reach for more rice from the extra bags.

Manami leaped forward and grabbed Minato's wrist, stopping him. "Wait! Do we even know what flavor we are doing?"

"WHAT?" Sai cried, turning around dramatically. "RICE HAS FLAVORS? There's so much I need to learn…"

The pale ninja set down his bowl, looking around frantically. "WHERE IS MY BOOK?! WHO TOOK MY BOOK?"

The girls looked at each other and groaned. "How are they all so clueless?"

Kakashi, who had been nonchalantly standing the whole time, suddenly got a determined look on his face and started rummaging through drawers.

"SEE, KOHARU? THE SCHOOL KEEPS THEIR KUNAI WITH THEIR KNIVES TOO!" A proud expression spread across the copy nin's face.

The brunette threw her hands up, completely defeated. "Well both of you guys are wrong! It doesn't even make sense."

Exasperated, Koharu walked back over to Sai's station to see if he had made any progress.

 _Maybe, since he's the artsy one, he could actually win this for us._

"SAI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she exclaimed when she saw the young ninja.

Sai, who was on the floor, sighed heavily. "I'm looking for my book! Why else would I be on the floor?"

"I don't know, maybe because you dropped some rice, since _that's_ what we're supposed to be doing?" Koharu put her hand on her hip.

"Well, we're supposed to be doing a lot of things. Like we aren't supposed to date within the group, but we all see how _that's_ gone."

Sai glanced over at Kakashi, as if he was further proving his point.

Koharu started massaging her temples, trying to get rid of the headache that was continuously getting worse. She looked over to a fiery redhead, hopeful for help.

Kushina, who was beyond stressed, yelled as her hair floated around her. "OKAY, EVERYONE STOP!"

Upon her request, the group stopped what they are doing and turned to face Kushina.

"Minato, I knew this was a bad idea," she said, trying to calm herself down.

"Come on, Kushina! Everything's fine!" Minato said as he waved his arm and knocked over another bowl of rice.

Kushina's face turned red once again and all hope of calming down escaped.

"WE'VE WASTED HALF OF OUR RICE AND WE STILL HAVE NO PLAN AS TO WHAT WE'RE MAKING, YA KNOW! WHAT DO YOU MEAN EVERYTHING IS FINE?!"

The yellow-haired ninja cowered away, mumbling. "At least nothing's caught on fire…"

At that moment, a fire erupted on the stove and the smoke alarms began to go off.

"I hate to correct you, but I think something just did," Gaara said, pointing toward the flames.

Koharu walked over to see what caused the fire before groaning. "IT'S YOUR DAMN BOOK, SAI!"

"MY BOOK?!" the pale ninja screamed.

Hearing all the commotion, Shikamaru stirred in his sleep and finally woke up. Everyone froze and looked over at Shikamaru, ignoring the fact that there was still a blazing fire erupting.

Shikamaru opened one eye. "If you don't stop making so much troublesome noise, I will make sure you _never_ see the light of day again."

Sai then cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention again. "I think the most important thing right now is that my 'damn book' is still on fire."

Finally getting a chance to put her water ninjutsus to use, Manami turned to the inferno.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullet!"

The group leaped out of the way as the kunoichi shot out water bullets from her hands.

Gaara gasped, just barely missing her jutsu. "Manami, are you trying to kill us with that?!"

"I DIDN'T SEE YOU DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT, MISTER 'LET'S FEED PEOPLE FLOOR RICE,'" Manami snapped.

"My book would never feed people floor rice," Sai whimpered, looking sadly at the ashes.

"MAYBE BECAUSE IT WAS A BOOK AND NOT A LIVING THING!" Manami screamed at Sai.

The group broke out into mass chaos. Manami and Gaara yelled at each other, Itachi kept trying to pull Sai away from the ashes of his book, all while Minato and Kakashi argued over the last ending of _Icha Icha_.

"AHEM!" Kushina cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention. "Okay, that's it! Because Koharu and I are the only ones that have any sort of cooking experience, we will be the ones in charge!"

Itachi coughed, obviously offended.

" _Okay_ , Itachi is also in charge, as long as he doesn't try to make 100 different rice balls," Kushina concluded.

Sai, who was now over the loss of his book and still curious, turned to Kakashi. "Is this how it was at your apartment?"

"Good thing we aren't making soup then, huh?" Gaara commented while smirking.

"We might catch a glimpse of what happened then," Manami said, finishing Gaara's thought.

Kakashi crossed his arms, remaining completely unaffected. Koharu opened the knife drawer back up, pulled out a kunai, and started spinning it threateningly.

"Want to continue that thought?"

Everyone looked away, not wanting to say anything else. Sai opened his mouth to speak, but Itachi quickly covered it.

"Okay, now let's make a real rice ball," Koharu said finally.

The group began to clean up their messes, and they all worked hard for the next couple of hours. Soon they had a rice ball that they thought the whole school would love.

Koharu sighed and leaned against the counter, closing her eyes. Kakashi looked at her and chuckled.

"You have a little bit of rice in your hair," he said as he walked over next to the brunette, picking the rice out with one hand while cupping her face with the other.

The host club all gaped at the couple, not used to seeing them that way. Koharu noticed their stares and blushed a little.

She quickly composed herself and shot a look at her wide eyed friends. "Seriously, you guys act like half of us aren't dating someone else _in_ this group."

Minato looked around the room and began counting on his hands who was dating who. He looked up and whispered. "You're right… I DID THIS!"

Sai elbowed Shikamaru. "Or maybe dating someone in the group's _sister._ "

Gaara looked up at Sai's comment, and then stared at the lazy ninja. "What is he talking about, _Shikamaru?"_

Manami placed a hand on her boyfriend's back, trying to console him.

Shikamaru coughed and mumbled, "You're so troublesome, Sai…"

The shadow ninja walked up next to the redhead and stopped next to his ear. "I'll talk to you after we're done here."

Gaara gave Shikamaru a suspicious look before glancing down at Manami. The kunoichi smiled up at him.

 _Poor Shikamaru has no idea what he's getting into. Maybe I could give him some tips on dating someone in the Suna family…_

* * *

The next day, the school began the rice ball contest and the turnout was very successful. The Host Club was happy to find out that their rice ball was the most popular, although they weren't sure if it was because it was good or because the host club members were selling it themselves.

When the group was alone again inside of Room 222, Kakashi began counting up the money they earned.

"We almost have all the money we need. If we just do one more thing, we should be good."

Shikamaru put his hand on his chin. "Hmm what else could we do…?"

The host club sat silently, all pondering their next move.

* * *

A/N: Fruits Basket was the inspiration for this chapter. Kyo is my bb. Sai actually makes me laugh out loud, especially in this chapter. -Ritsu


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Disclaimer: You already know what I'm gonna say. But I'll say it anways. WE DONT OWN NARUTO! Love you guys tho 3 -Yui

* * *

As the group was busy putting the finishing touches on their final fundraiser, Kushina walked around making sure everything was going smoothly. They had decided to make a calendar of the host club boys to sell.

"Sai, can you actually smile for the picture?" Kushina requested.

Sai moved his mouth in a very small upward motion. "I _am_ smiling."

Koharu snapped a few shots, and Kushina face-palmed over Sai's non-photogenic nature.

"Alright, Kakashi. Come on," Kushina called over.

The masked ninja walked over and stood in front of the backdrop, waiting to be told how to pose.

"Kakashi, I know you hate it, but can you just take off your mask so we can see your face? You know it will sell more," the redhead bargained.

Koharu and Kakashi both turned to their friend. "No," they said in sync.

Kushina sighed. "But-"

"No," Kakashi reiterated.

Koharu lifted her camera. "Okay, smile!"

When the camera clicked, Minato jumped up behind Kakashi and made a silly face.

Kushina's hair began to rise as she glared at her boyfriend. "MINATO, STOP PHOTOBOMBING! NOT ALL OF THESE ARE FOR YOU."

"Hmph." The blonde ninja crossed his arms, "Well they should be… I am the president after all."

Kakashi scoffed. "You know… I still don't remember having a vote."

Minato deflated and started stuttering out excuses.

Kushina rolled her eyes and turned to Koharu. "Who's next?"

"That would be me, sadly," Shikamaru waved, walking up to the two girls.

"Could you not look so annoyed?" the redhead complained.

"Well, stop doing things that annoy me," Shikamaru retorted.

Koharu sighed and held up the camera. "Just sit down and pose so we can move on."

"Hmm, I'll think about it," Shikamaru replied while getting into a thinking position.

The brunette clicked the camera. "That'll do!"

"Wait, you aren't even gonna check to see how it turned out?"

"Nope. Who's next?" Koharu asked, following Kushina to the next person.

Shikamaru grumbled and walked away to find a spot to nap. "What a drag."

When Kushina and Koharu went to go find the next person, Itachi, they discovered him lying on the floor while Manami was trying to convince him into participating.

"Itachi, you have to have at least _one_ picture," Manami begged.

"I'm still upset about my rice balls." Itachi rolled over, looking away from the girls.

Koharu rolled her eyes and waved the camera around. "Itachi, I'll take the picture of you right now, don't push me."

Manami scoffed and looked over at Kushina and Koharu with a wink. "Yeah, plus, your rice balls weren't even that good."

The Uchiha dramatically turned around to glare at Manami, who had walked over and stood by the camera.

As Itachi turned, he spread out his hair dramatically and activated his mangekyou sharingan. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

"Click!" Koharu looked down at the camera, and showed it to the other girls next to her. "Ooooo, very dark. Good job Manami!"

Itachi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Sometimes these girls are so dramatic…_

"Alright, two more to go," Koharu noted.

Kushina was about to open her mouth to call over Gaara, but Manami had another idea.

"MY TUUUURN!" the excited girl exclaimed.

Gaara walked up beside his girlfriend. "Manami, I love you and all, but you aren't even a member."

Manami turned to Gaara with a sweet smile. "Ok well…I look better than you in photos!"

Gaara scoffed. "You can't sit still long enough to even have your picture made! In all the ones we've taken together I look like I'm standing next to a ghost."

"AT LEAST I CAN SMILE WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE A PSYCHO!"

Gaara frowned, obviously offended. "MY SMILE IS NICE!"

"If you guys don't get it together I'm gonna stop taking your photos and leave. I have other things I could be doing," Koharu threatened.

Manami crossed her arms and pouted, turning away from her best friends and her boyfriend.

Gaara stepped up, lowering his voice. "Take the picture while Manami is still distracted."

After Gaara was done, the two girls moved onto Minato, who had no problem posing for the camera.

"Now take one like this, Koharu! Make sure to get my good side… Oh wait, that's all of them!"

* * *

The group spent the next couple of days picking the best photos and throwing together a calendar. Kushina sighed as she looked the last photo in December.

"Good thing there are six of you. You are all in it twice."

As Minato flipped through the calendar he furrowed his eyebrows. "Why did you pick this picture of me?! My eyes don't shimmer with their normal beautiful blue!"

Koharu glared at her hyper friend. "Minato, this was one of the only pictures of you that actually turned out clear. Maybe if you kept still like I told you to…"

"But I had so many good poses!" Minato pouted, crossing his arms.

"You would move before I could take the picture!"

* * *

When the host club sold the calendars to the school, they were a huge success. The club ran out of posters to sell within the first day.

At the end of the day, they all sat around Room 222, totaling up all of the money.

Kushina grinned widely at the sum. "We have more than enough money! This dance is going to be amazing, ya know!"

Everyone cheered and smiled as they realized everything was falling into place. Kakashi turned to Manami and whispered while everyone else was distracted.

"I hope you helped Koharu pick out a good dress."

Manami mischievously smiled at her friend's boyfriend. "And I hope _you_ like red."

* * *

A/N: Only five more chapters :( I'll miss u guys :/ -Yui


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. The phantom of the opera is DEEEEAADDDDDD. One of Ritsu's famous lines. -Mio

* * *

Before anyone knew it, it was toward the end of May, and the day of the masquerade ball had finally arrived. The Host Club met up in the school's ballroom, where they were hosting the event, to start to set up decorations.

Kushina was busy trying to cater food even though they made more rice balls because people loved theirs, much to Itachi's contentment. Koharu was hanging up some decorations with Manami when she turned to her.

"Have you thought about how we're going to be the ones graduating in a year?" Manami asked.

Koharu glanced at her friend, not pleased with the conversation. "Actually, I prefer to not think about those kinds of things, but thank you for bringing it up."

Manami sighed. "Oh come on, Koharu. I know you've thought about it… What you're going to do after, what will happen to you and Kakashi…"

Koharu turned to Manami and scowled. "If you keep talking like that, I'm not going to let you help me get ready."

Manami squealed and clapped her hands, excited to dress up that night. "Speaking of, I can't _wait_ to see you in the dress we picked out!"

"Me either," said a voice from behind them.

It was Kakashi, who was walking past them to help Minato. Koharu turned around and received a wink from her boyfriend in return.

Koharu blushed and turned back to the decorations. "It's just a dress," she mumbled, but was overpowered by Manami's giggles.

Before Koharu could try to stop her friend's laughing, Shikamaru called out to everyone from the other end of the room.

"Hey guys, the masks just came in! Everyone come pick out the one you want. I'd pass them out, but that sounds too-"

"Troublesome?" Koharu asked.

"Much of a drag?" Gaara smirked.

"Exhausting?" Manami added on to the others.

"Exciting?!" Minato smiled, wanting to join in on the fun.

The three turned and gave Minato a look.

"Can't be helped…" the shadow ninja sighed.

Shikamaru gave in and walked around the room with the box of masks, handing them out to everyone. When all the decorations were in place, Minato looked around at the rest of the group.

"Good work, everyone! But don't forget, it is our job to entertain our guests tonight!" he noted.

The girls glanced at each other, all thinking the same thing. Manami nodded and voiced their thoughts.

"I would just like to remind you, that none of us—" she waved her hand, gesturing toward the other girls "—are actually members, so feel free to entertain us too!"

Minato laughed and looked at Kushina with an award-winning smile. "We'll keep that in mind."

Koharu opened her mouth to add to what Manami said, when the medic nin interrupted her.

"LOOK AT THE TIME! WE _NEED_ TO GO GET READY! KUSHINA, KOHARU, COME ON!"

She grabbed Koharu's wrist and dragged her out. Kushina followed behind the two girls with a smile.

"We'll see you guys tonight," she winked.

* * *

Minato looked at the clock on the wall. "Alright guys, it's 7 PM. People should be showing up soon, unless they have picked up Kakashi's chronic lateness."

As soon as he said that, the boys heard the chatter of people as they entered the room.

"Looks like they haven't picked up my habits then," Kakashi said, eye smiling.

Minato slung his arms over Kakashi and Itachi, who were standing on either side of him.

"Show time!" he sung.

Shikamaru straightened his tie one last time and walked forward to start greeting everyone.

 _Show time indeed, Minato._

* * *

About half an hour later, the party was in full-swing, but the girls were still getting ready.

Koharu turned to the other girls, noticing the time. "We're already missing it… We should get going."

Manami gave a dramatic sigh and stressed her explanation. "No, Koharu. The point is to be late."

Kushina chuckled, agreeing with the medic nin. "Haven't you picked anything up from dating Kakashi?"

Koharu opened her mouth to retort, but got cut off by Manami. "Besides, I'm still not done with your makeup, Koharu."

Koharu rolled her eyes, not understanding why everything was taking so long. Manami and Kushina gasped as they watched their friend possibly ruin all of their hard work.

"What? What happened? What's the big deal?" Koharu asked, looking between the two girls.

Manami sighed and reached for a wipe. "Your mascara wasn't dry, Koharu… You got it all over you when you rolled your eyes."

Koharu groaned. "I'm not used to all of this 'makeup' stuff," the angry kunoichi mumbled.

"Yes, you always have been _quite_ the embarrassment of our friendship when it came to acting like a girl," Manami noted.

The brunette chuckled, but quickly stopped to let Kushina and Manami continue to work.

* * *

Manami stepped back to look at her masterpiece.

"Wow."

Kushina nodded, eyes wide.

"It doesn't even look like the Koharu we know."

Koharu looked back and forth between her two friends. " _It?!_ What does that mean? Should I be worried? If I look ridiculous I swear…"

"But it sure _sounds_ like her," Kushina smirked, elbowing Manami.

Manami handed Koharu a mirror, finally letting her see herself. Koharu gasped and looked up at the two girls. "What is this sparkly thing on my cheeks? It looks so good!"

Manami winked at Kushina, linking arms with her and Koharu.

"I think we're ready to go."

* * *

Back at the dance, Kakashi was standing next to the food table alone holding a cup of punch. He sighed when Gaara walked up to stand next to him.

"It's getting boring without the girls here, isn't it?" the redhead mentioned.

Minato, who was stuffing his face with food next to Kakashi and Gaara, nodded. He mumbled something neither of them could understand, food coming out of his mouth.

Itachi walked up to the three and tapped on their shoulders. He pointed to the door.

"I don't think you guys need to sulk any longer."

The trio paused, frozen in shock as they watched the girls walk in. Itachi looked at the girls, and then the guys before continuing to walk.

"You guys sure are lucky," the Uchiha called over his shoulder, shaking his head.

Minato was the first to snap out of it. He mumbled something under his breath before walking up to Kushina. She stood near the door, looking around the room for none other than her blonde ninja. She noticed her boyfriend walking toward her and gave off a smile rivaling Minato's own signature one.

Manami looked in the direction Minato was coming from and spotted Gaara and Kakashi. She pointed them out to her brunette friend. "I found our boys," she smiled.

Before Kushina could say a word, Minato pulled her close and started dancing, whispering in a low voice. "Give me the honor of entertaining the most beautiful girl here tonight, will you?"

Kushina smiled and locked her hands around Minato's neck, moving herself closer to him.

"Of course."

From the other side of the room, Gaara saw Manami pointing their direction and snapped out of his gaze. He noticed Kakashi still hadn't moved.

 _That dress…_ Kakashi thought to himself.

The redhead put a hand on his shoulder. "Snap out of it, Kakashi. They're coming over here!"

The copy ninja turned to Gaara, but still hadn't fully snapped back into reality. Gaara chuckled at his friend and walked away to meet Manami.

When he reached the girls, he turned to Koharu. "I think he's a little lost for words right now."

Koharu chuckled before shaking her head and walking away toward Kakashi.

With a big smile, Gaara turned to his girlfriend, who was wearing a sea-blue dress. "Itachi was right… "

Manami raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking of Itachi when someone that looks like this—" the medic ninja gestured to herself— "is standing right in front of you?"

Gaara laughed. "When you and the girls walked in, he told Kakashi, Minato and me that we were lucky."

He stepped closer to Manami. "But between you and me, I think I'm the luckiest out of all of them."

Manami beamed. "I was just kidding about the whole Itach-"

Gaara cut her off. "You weren't wrong though, you look beautiful."

Manami blushed at the comment and Gaara smiled.

"Now look who's blushing!" the redhead teased.

Manami reached out to playfully punch Gaara, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her in before she could.

"Let's go join the fun," he whispered, leading her to the dance floor.

Koharu walked over to Kakashi and twirled around. With a laugh, Koharu looked up at her boyfriend.

"Well? It's like I'm a completely different person, huh?"

The copy ninja continued to stare in silence. Koharu fidgeted with her dress. _Maybe I look too dressed up…_

"Uh… hello? If you don't like it I can always change…"

Finally, Kakashi snapped out of his daze and walked up to Koharu, cupping her cheek with his hand. "Sorry about that… It was just… Koharu, you…"

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I'm what? Kakashi, are you okay?"

Kakashi pulled Koharu's mask off of her face and looked into her eyes.

"You just left me speechless is all… I mean you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen… and I'm not just talking about tonight."

Kakashi lowered his to voice to a whisper and pulled her face close to his. "You are _nothing_ shy of perfection."

Koharu blushed and tried to pull away, a little uncomfortable with the compliment, but Kakashi noticed this and leaned forward to close the gap between them. Slowly, he enveloped her into a kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that since the moment you walked in," Kakashi said with a smile.

Koharu looked down, but the silver-haired ninja quickly lifted her chin back up to look at him again.

"Kakashi…" she managed to say.

"You better get used to me complimenting you, Koharu, because I don't plan on stopping anytime soon."

The brunette reached forward and straightened Kakashi's tie a little. "Well then I should be honest with you, Kakashi…"

The copy ninja looked down at Koharu with one eyebrow raised.

The kunoichi continued, smirking. "You look pretty _damn_ good yourself."

Kakashi smiled and laughed at his girlfriend. "Of course I do. I am _the_ Kakashi Hatake."

Koharu rolled her eyes and put her mask back on. She grabbed Kakashi's hand, pulling him along. "Come on, let's dance."

Kakashi followed Koharu's lead, but tugged on her arm to stop her.

"By the way," he whispered to her. "You should wear red more often."

* * *

A/N: I love the last line in this chapter. I had a red dress when I played a solo and pretended I was Koharu. -Mio


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Disclaimer: I can't tell you how many different versions of Pirates of the Caribbean I've played in orchestra. My favorite piece was "Bohemian Rhapsody," by Queen. I did like Phantom of the Oprah, too. I love listening to movie scores. We do not own Naruto, or any other great piece of literature. Besides this fic that is! ;) -Ritsu

* * *

Several hours into the party, everyone was having fun, laughing and joking around. Kakashi and Koharu were chatting away while eating.

Koharu slipped some fruit into her mouth. "Why do you thin-"

Before she could finish her thought, Shikamaru walked up to the microphone.

"Hello? Can I have your attention, please? I know it's a drag to interrupt your night, but we actually have a little surprise for you."

Kohau turned to Kakashi, confused. "What surprise? I don't remember helping plan anything."

Kakashi winked at his girlfriend. "That's because it's a surprise for _all_ of our guests tonight."

Shikamaru continued on once the murmur of everyone talking about the surprise had died down.

"We took into consideration the reaction to the calendar pictures to select who would actually participate in this, and well… It's probably just better if we start the music now, Itachi."

When Itachi dramatically hit play, the crowd heard the beginning beats of Britney Spear's "Womanizer."

Slowly, Minato and Kakashi made their way to the center of the floor.

— Watch Kakashi/Minato Womanizer MMD on Youtube for visual —

During the dance, Kushina started to cry from laughing, and Koharu leaned against Manami trying to contain her shock and laughter. When the dancing ninjas were done, Minato walked back over to his teary-eyed girlfriend.

"You are such an idiot, Minato!" Kushina managed to say, still laughing.

Minato chuckled, kissing Kushina on her forehead. "So I've heard."

When Kakashi made it back to Koharu, he grabbed his drink and turned back to his girlfriend. "Sorry, where were we before… _that_ , Koharu?"

Koharu's eyes were still huge, and she looked away from him, covering her mouth.

"What? Why won't you look at me?" Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows, and grabbed her hand away from her mouth.

Laughter came spilling out of her mouth, and she tried to apologize in between laughs. "I'm… It's… not funny… sorry... I just…."

Kakashi watched her amused and began to laugh himself at her reaction.

Next to them, Manami elbowed Gaara. "Why weren't you out there?"

"It's not my fault they polled the highest… _Someone_ kept trying to get into my shot."

Manami laughed, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. "It's okay, you'll always be my number one."

Gaara gave Manami a weird look. "You want me to do the dance, don't you?"

The medic nin gave her boyfriend an innocent smile. "How about you show me after theparty?"

The sand ninja rolled his eyes. "Fine, but only for you."

As the night went on, Kakashi, Minato, and Gaara started to do their host club duties by entertaining the other guests. Koharu was standing by the food table watching the crowd as she tried to control her boredom.

 _Her dress is really pretty… How do girls manage to dance in those shoes… Oh no, I think I just ate the last of the grapes…_

As she scanned the crowd, she recognized one of her classmates walking toward her. He smiled when he stopped in front of her.

"That dance sure was something else. Those guys know how to entertain," the guy said.

Koharu gave a small chuckle at his comment and put her cup down.

"Oh, I'm Iruka, by the way. We have a ninjutsu class together, but you probably don't remember…"

"Yeah, with Orochimaru-sensei! He's such a bore sometimes."

Iruka and Koharu continued exchanging small talk, but Iruka noticed Koharu's interest slipping from time to time.

"You look just as bored as you do in that class, Koharu," Iruka commented. "...Care to dance?"

Koharu gave Iruka a hesitant look, but finally gave him a curt nod. _If Kakashi is dancing with other people, it wouldn't hurt if I did, too._

Iruka extended his hand toward Koharu and led her to the dance floor. The two continued chatting, straight through two songs.

 _Iruka really isn't that bad… We like a lot of the same stuff!_

After the second song, Koharu looked around the room and made eye contact with Kakashi, who was leaning up against the wall, glaring with his arms crossed. Koharu sighed and thanked Iruka for the dance, then walked over to Kakashi.

"You looked like you were having a good time." Kakashi's tone dripped with annoyance and anger.

Koharu caught on to the attitude in his voice and became defensive. "Actually, I was. I have a class with Iruka, and we were getting to know each other better."

Kakashi hummed, not looking her in the eyes. "Well, by all means, don't let me interrupt such a perfect pair."

The irritated ninja pushed himself off of the wall, and walked out of the ballroom, stepping into the hallway to get some space.

Koharu watched as her boyfriend stormed out of the room. She sighed and followed him into the hall. _Why is he acting so immature?_

"Is there something wrong, Kakashi?" Koharu questioned, taking off the mask over her eyes.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. Don't mind me. You can go back to dancing with your new friend," Kakashi said, not looking at her.

Koharu stepped closer to Kakashi, growing more frustrated by the second.

"Why am I not allowed to care if you dance with other girls, but when all I do is decide to hang out with someone else for a little bit, it's a huge deal? _Plus,_ you were busy entertaining and I was getting bored!"

Kakashi shook his head and crossed his arms, whipping his head in her direction. "It's my job, Koharu. It doesn't mean anything to me!"

Koharu rolled her eyes, crossing her arms also. "And I was just socializing Kakashi, calm down!"

With each second that passed, Kakashi was obviously getting more and more upset.

"Yeah, but-"

"But what?" The annoyed kunoichi put her hands on her hips.

Kakashi sighed, trying to calm himself down. "I know I'm not the most put together person out there… So how do I know someone better than me won't come and…. and take you away from me?"

The copy ninja's voice grew quieter, and he looked from Koharu down to his feet. The once frustrated kunoichi's eyes softened as she stepped toward her counterpart.

"Kakashi… are you really worried about that? You know there is no one else out there I'd rather be with."

Koharu couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped her lips. _Why would he even think that?_

The grey-haired ninja looked up at Koharu, and she continued finally meeting his eye.

"And put together or not, I thought I already told you, I wanted to be the one there for you. Besides, you've always been more than enough for me, Kakashi. There is no one else who is better for me out there."

Kakashi eye-smiled and pulled her into a hug. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Try not to have too much fun when I'm not around."

"Sorry I was jealous…" he added, pulling out of the hug. "I'll _try_ to be better, but I make no promises."

Kakashi winked at Koharu, and the couple headed back into the dance, going their separate ways so Kakashi could continue his job. For quite some time, Iruka kept trying to pursue Koharu, but out of respect for Kakashi, she politely turned him down each time.

"Come on, Koharu, just one more dance. We had so much fun for those two songs!"

Koharu shifted in her spot, trying to think of an excuse to get away from the guy.

"Uhh, listen Iruka, I'm going to step out to get some air. It's getting kinda stuffy in here."

Koharu headed outside to the courtyard of the school and was able to gather her thoughts for a while, before she once again felt the familiar presence of her classmate.

 _Can he not take a hint?_ Koharu stayed in her spot, not bothering to turn around.

"Iruka, I would appreciate it if you'd stop following me around. You're a nice guy but I'm not interested," she reinforced.

Iruka slowly walked up to the kunoichi and put a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to face him.

"Come on, Koharu. I think we could have fun together."

He stepped closer to her, causing Koharu to step back. Koharu felt something cold against her back and cursed herself, realizing it was the wall.

Koharu clenched her fists and gave Iruka a warning look. "Look buddy, if you take another step toward me, I'll-"

Out of nowhere, Kakashi grabbed Iruka's collar and pushed him against the wall. Koharu shot out of the way just in time for Iruka's body to hit the wall exactly where she was standing.

"I don't think you heard her correctly. She told you to leave. her. alone." Kakashi gritted out, in a deep, threatening voice.

Iruka laughed at Kakashi, not worried about the unfortunate situation he had gotten himself into. "And what are you? Her bodyguard?"

The silver-haired ninja shoved him further against the wall. "Actually, I'm her boyfriend."

Iruka looked at Koharu and gave her the up-down.

"Someone with _that_ body needs to raise their standards," the young ninja purred.

Koharu scoffed and opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind. _I swear, when he hears what I hav-_

Her thoughts were interrupted when her boyfriend let go of Iruka's collar, and punched him in the face. Hard.

Kakashi backed away and turned away from Iruka. He ran his hands through his hair, desperately trying to calm down. _Dammit, pull yourself together._

Iruka slid down the wall, clutching his nose. "What the hell? Get your boyfriend under control, Koharu!"

Koharu scoffed. "If you didn't just harass me, I might actually have some sympathy for you right now."

Iruka began to stutter, when the brunette cut him off. "I'd get out of here before _my boyfriend_ finishes what he started… and if he doesn't… _I will._ "

The bleeding ninja pushed himself off of the wall and scampered off away from the two.

When he was gone, an exasperated Koharu turned to her counterpart. "Kakashi, I was handling it! I had everything under-"

Suddenly, Kakashi grabbed her chin and pulled her into a rough kiss. Koharu attempted to resist, but gave in when his kisses became more desperate for her.

"What was that for?" she asked in a low voice.

Kakashi got closer to Koharu's ear, anger still evident in his voice. "If anyone _ever_ tries to hurt you again, I won't hold back."

The brunette crossed her arms, and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. "Kakashi… I'm a Shinobi, I can take care of myself."

Kakashi stepped back and scratched his neck. "I know, but…"

Koharu opened her eyes and smiled lightly, cutting him off. "Thank you, Kakashi."

She stepped forward and kissed Kakashi again lightly.

"Let's go back."

* * *

A/N: I freaking love this chapter. Womanizer makes me laugh every time. It's the little things. Kakashi thrusting, Minato in his Hokage robe. -Ritsu


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Yui won't do her disclaimers so now I have to do them . -Mio (Yui is the biggest rat. -Ritsu)

* * *

Minato stood behind a wall watching everything that had played out. When he saw Iruka running back in the direction of the school, he flashed over in his path, stopping in front of the guy.

He put a hand out on the wounded ninja's chest, cutting him off. A dark look crossed over the Yellow Flash's face as he put on a condescending smile.

"Iruka, was it?"

"Wh-what? Who are you?" Blood dripped down from Iruka's nose as he looked at the man in front of him.

"You don't need to know who I am. Just know that if you ever lay a hand on one of my friends again, or even _think_ about coming back to this dance, I'll make you wish you had stayed and taken your chances with Kakashi."

Minato shoved Iruka backwards, causing the young ninja to stumble.

"Frankly, I'd like to beat you up myself, but it looks like Kakashi already took care of you. So why don't you leave before you continue to stain the nice, marble floor with your filthy nose bleed?"

Iruka stared at Minato trying to think of what to say, but turned around instead and began to walk off. "You're all insane!"

* * *

When Koharu and Kakashi walked back inside, they are greeted by Shikamaru.

"Where have you guys been? Manami was looking for you."

Kakashi mumbled something they couldn't understand and walked off to find Minato and Itachi. Shikamaru stared and watched Kakashi as he walked away from them.

Koharu smiled at Shikamaru, getting his attention back. "Where's Manami at?"

"She's over there by the food… but was that blood on Kakashi's hand?" he asked with a worried look.

"Iru-" The brunette sighed and tried to sum it up for shadow ninja. "Some guy was harassing me, and Kakashi… _dealt_ with it."

Shikamaru looked at something behind Koharu and then focused back on her. He shook his head. "The poor guy…"

Koharu turned around, looking to see what had caught Shikamaru's eye. She faced Shikamaru again and smirked.

"So you brought Gaara's sister, huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his suit pocket. "Didn't I say Manami was looking for you?"

Koharu scoffed and started walking toward Manami, but she wasn't out of earshot yet when she heard Shikamaru mumble.

"Troublesome woman," he said under his breath.

Koharu shook her head and walked up to her friend, who was standing by herself.

"What's up, Manami?"

The honey-haired girl smirked, and her eyes began to glow. "Guess who just requested a slow song?"

Koharu playfully hit her friend but then turned to the dance floor. "I guess we better go find the guys."

Manami rolled her eyes. "I know Gaara is probably watching Shikamaru and Temari to make sure nothing happens. Actually, I better go get him before he sand coffins them or something."

The concerned ninja walked off toward Gaara, who was not so casually eyeing Shikamaru and Temari. _Good thing I know medical ninjutsu, because at this rate, Gaara might actually fight someone._

Koharu found Kakashi once again and walked up to him, grabbing his drink out of his hand and taking a sip.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his now empty hand. "Someone's a little thirsty, huh, Koharu?"

Koharu ignored his comment. "Well, this has been an eventful night, don't you think?"

Before he could answer, a slow song came on and Kakashi turned to Koharu.

"What do you say? Are you up for one final event?" Kakashi asked, eye smiling.

The brunette smiled, setting the now empty drink on a table nearby. She started walking to the dance floor, Kakashi trailing behind her. He finally matched her pace and pulled on her arm.

"I believe the guy is suppose to lead, _Koharu_."

The copy ninja placed his hands on his girlfriend's hips, letting her wrap her arms around his neck.

When the song came on, Minato, who was sitting down with Kushina, grabbed her hand and helped her up.

"Come on, Kushina."

Sai was sitting down in a chair, taking a break from drawing caricatures of people. As the slow song began to play, he whipped out his book and turned to Itachi.

"There is a whole chapter in here about slow dances!"

Itachi smiled and tapped his forehead with his fingers. He got up and walked over to someone in one of his classes, asking her to dance.

Over in the back, Manami was begging her redhead with puppy dog eyes.

"Pleeeeease, Gaara!. Everyone else is dancing too!"

"Okay, okay." The redhead finally gave in, and they walked out to join the other pairings on the dance floor.

Koharu leaned her head against Kakashi's chest as they danced, and lightly chuckled. Kakashi raised an eyebrow questioningly and looked down at her.

She looked up at him with a smile. "Look at us, we used to despise each other! And now… and now…"

Koharu's thought drifted off into space. _I wonder where I would be if I had never met Kakashi or the host club…_

Kakashi looked at his girlfriend and chuckled a little. "I'm glad that you scoffed at me in the bookstore that day, Koharu. "

Koharu smiled, "I never thought I'd say this but…"

Kakashi leaned down and looked at her expectantly.

"I'm glad you're a pervert."

Kakashi scoffed, but looked down at her, grinning. "You just _had_ to ruin the moment."

The brunette began to take the lead as they danced, and Kakashi sighed, annoyed.

"Hey, I already told you I'm supposed to lead. Stop embarrassing me!"

Koharu laughed and leaned forward.

"Oh, you know I love you," she whispered.

Kakashi leaned forward, smirking.

"I know," he said softly, kissing her.

A couple pairs over, Manami nodded her head, pointing behind Gaara.

"Hey, Gaara, look behind you."

The Suna sibling turned around and saw Temari and Shikamaru dancing. Manami could see Gaara clearly getting a little flustered, but she turned him back around and pulled him back into dancing.

Manami tried to make Gaara focus on her again. "You can't control everything, Gaara. Besides, she is older than you. She'll be fine."

The sand ninja smiled down at his girlfriend. "It's not _her_ I'm worried about."

Manami laughed and pulled Gaara closer.

"You're right," she smirked. "You should see her brother."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "You know, I don't think you knew this, but when we found out about the dance I was really nervous because I didn't know how to dance."

"Well, I couldn't even tell!"

Gaara laughed. "Well then, you can thank Koharu for that. She helped me out a few days after Host Club… I'm sure if you asked her she would tell you I was a mess."

"Yeah, well, you're _my_ mess now." She placed her hand on the back of his neck and closed the gap.

The couples continued swaying to the beat, everyone smiling.

"I can't believe this is all ending soon, Minato," Kushina looked up at her boyfriend.

Minato smiled and held his girlfriend closer. "Kushina, if I have you there's nothing we can't get through."

Kushina smiled softly and rested her chin on his shoulder.

Back in the corner of the room, Sai dipped his paintbrush in some ink and lifted it to the canvas.

"I think they will like this," he said softly, putting the finishing touches on a painting of one of the best nights the host club had seen.

* * *

A/N: The ending to this chapter is my FAVORITE out of the whole fic 3 It's! Just! So! Nice! S/O to Mio for writing it, luv ya. -Yui, a secret Mio fangirl ?


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. We're from Texas, but I wasn't born in the country. I hate saying y'all. Yes, we do ride horses.

* * *

It was the week of graduation, and the Host Club had begun to pack things up in Room 222.

Everyone was reminiscing about past Host Club events as they put things away in boxes.

Minato inspected part of the wall and then turned around to face the group. "How did this dent get here?"

The group looked up at Minato and they all started to chuckle.

"Guuuys, someone tell me!" he pleaded.

Kakashi spoke up hesitantly. "That's from when you slammed me against the wall, Minato."

Minato rubbed his hand on the back of his head. "...Oh."

Manami leaned over to Gaara and smirked. "Remember when we accidentally kissed?"

Gaara opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Itachi yelled from across the room.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!"

Gaara blushed as Manami burst out into laughter. When she caught her breath, she looked over toward Itachi. "How could you even hear me just now?"

Itachi smirked and began to explain. "From where you sit, that spot echos around the room. That's why we always had Gaara sit there. Sometimes listening to him flirt with others was quite humorous."

The sand ninja turned as red as his hair upon hearing his friends' betrayal and walked off mumbling to himself.

Sai, who was excited about all of the reminiscing, decided it was his turn to share.

"Remember when Koharu came back from that mission where she got one of her comrades killed?"

Everyone turned to Sai, who was beaming since he thought he was participating.

Kakashi smirked, and shot Koharu a knowing look. _I remember our time at the memorial stone, anyways._

"Yeah I remember that."

Kushina cleared her throat. "I think we're all just happy that everything turned out okay."

Shikamaru walked over to the back drop where they took their calendar photos and laughed when he remembered how hectic the day was.

"Minato, you really couldn't stay out of anyone's photo could you?"

For once, Sai laughed at his friends' comments, but when he remembered a secret he had been hiding from the group, he quickly got up and walked over to a creaky board in the floor, calling his comrades over.

"I don't think you guys knew I did this," Sai said.

Itachi looked over, not bothering to get up. "Sai, that board has always squeaked. What are you talking about?"

Sai hit the end of the board, and the post went flying up. The artistic ninja caught it, set it to the side, and started pulling paintings out of the hole.

"I kept a lot of paintings of the host club here."

"What the heck? How did you manage to hide that?" Kushina asked as the group rushed over to see what Sai had painted.

As they looked through them, they saw paintings from throughout the year, including the beach trip.

Itachi started laughing, remembering different moments from the trip. "Remember when we almost caught Kakashi and Koharu?"

Shikamaru folded his arms across his chest. "If we would have just waited a second longer, we would have actually seen Kakashi without a mask."

Koharu and Kakashi blushed, but they continued to go through a few more paintings before they got to the last one—the one Sai made at the dance.

"Sai… This is…" Koharu gaped.

"Yes, I thought you would like it, Koharu. After all, I did make your waist a little slimmer!"

The once impressed kunoichi snapped her head in Sai's direction. "EXCUSE ME? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Kakashi pulled Koharu into his chest, holding her back from destroying Sai.

"It's fine, it's okay, Koharu. He didn't mean anything by it."

The kunoichi mumbled to herself, before huffing and crossing her arms. They continued to look at the picture before they dispersed again.

Shikamaru and Koharu walked over to the table with the shogi board and stared at it.

"I don't have the heart to put it away, Shikamaru," Koharu sighed.

Shikamaru put his hand on Koharu's shoulder. "You know what? Let's give it one last go. For old time's sake."

The two played while everyone else continued to clear things up around them. Koharu held in a smirk when she saw Shikamaru fall prey to her trap. Koharu moved her final piece ending the game.

Suddenly, the group heard Koharu yell from their direction. "Check mate! That's game, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru leaned back in his seat and groaned, disbelieved about his defeat. "I almost made it every single game…"

"I can't believe it! Shikamaru, did you just let me win?!"

"N-no! I didn't even think that you would have taken my king like that…"

Koharu turned her head in Kakashi's direction and yelled across the room in excitement.

"KAKASHI! I JUST BEAT SHIKAMARU!"

Kakashi walked over to the two. "That was nice of you to let her win, Shikamaru."

"What a drag... I didn't let her win! She just… won," Shikamaru groaned again.

Kakashi turned to Koharu, extremely impressed.

"For someone who doesn't like playing games, you sure do like winning," he smirked.

Koharu reached down and chunked a Shogi piece at the copy ninja. His smirk grew wider as he reached his hand up and caught it.

Koharu rolled her eyes, but then looked back down at the game.

"I guess we really should put it up now," she said sadly.

As they packed up the game, Koharu observed the King piece Kakashi caught. Shikamaru grabbed it from her and looked at it for himself.

"Asuma once told me the king piece represents the new generation. I guess it's only fitting we pack it up as we are graduating and disbanding the Host Club."

Koharu sighed as she turned around and looked at the empty room. Everyone was standing around, not sure what to do with themselves.

Kakashi came up beside his girlfriend and wrapped his arm around her waist. Koharu leaned back into Kakashi, enjoying the safety and comfort she felt in his arms.

Minato broke the silence that developed. "Well… it's getting late. We should probably get going."

Kushina nodded, agreeing with her boyfriend. "But we should meet here one last time, after we graduate, ya know!"

The group all nodded in agreement and headed out the room. Koharu turned around and watched as Minato closed and locked the door to Room 222.

 _At least it's not goodbye… yet._

* * *

A/N: I'm getting so emotional. *sniff sniff* -Mio


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. Did you guys actually read these? Bc if not we look kinda dumb. -All of us

* * *

On the last day of school that year, Minato, Kushina, and Itachi proudly graduated from Konoha High School. Itachi and Minato both ended up at the top of the class, Kushina not too far behind them.

After the ceremony was done, the Host Club and the girls all headed back to Room 222 to get a final look at the look. They sat around in the empty room, with the exception of a few chairs and tables, and reminisced once again on their days there.

"T-this is where it all begin… I just can't believe it's ending." Koharu looked around, her voice cracking.

Kakashi pulled her into his chest and stroked her hair, understanding the same sadness she felt.

The copy ninja tried to comfort Koharu. "The Host Club might be ending, but that doesn't mean the friendships and memories we made here are. It's time to make new memories, in… different rooms."

Shikamaru turned to the decorated graduates. "What are you guys planning on doing now?"

"Actually, I haven't really thought about it yet. Maybe start helping the hokage a little more?" Itachi shrugged and crossed his arms.

"HOKAGE! Now _that_ sounds like a fun job!" Minato exclaimed.

Kushina rolled her eyes. "No need to get worked up, Minato. It's a hard job. You're _at least_ gonna have to start as a jounin instructor."

The group feigned a chuckle at their friend, and at the redhead's comment. To everyone's surprise, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Gaara turned his head. "Who could that be? The school knows we aren't open for business anymore..."

Sai nodded, looking around the room. "Well, we're missing Shikamaru."

"What? I'm right here Sai!" Shikamaru pointed out.

"Ah well… yes… We are not missing anyone… apparently."

Eyebrow raised, Minato got up to open the door. When he did, he discovered an odd-looking guy wearing a black coat and holding a small rodent.

Minato opened the door more, letting everyone see who it was. "I'm sorry, who are you? …Is that a rat?"

Ignoring Minato's questions, the mysterious visitor pushed past the retired club president and walked across the room. He stopped in front of the rest of the group, intensely looking at each of them.

Manami turned to her boyfriend and whispered in his ear. "Who is that? He's kind of creepy."

Koharu stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Yamato? What are you doing here?"

Kakashi reached up and grabbed his girlfriend's hand, getting her attention. He raised an eyebrow, silently questioning who _and_ how she knew the man before them. Koharu turned to look at the rest of the group.

"This is Yamato. He's the president of the Dark Magic Club… We had genjutsu together this year, but he was always spouting random things about genjutsu actually being magic."

"Isn't that club held in the room right across from ours?" Itachi asked.

"YES! You guys never even acknowledged me! Not once, _all yea_ r!" Yamato yelled, throwing his hands up.

"To be fair, I didn't know a Dark Magic Club existed…" Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and looked up at Yamato.

The exasperated president flung his hands up. "Exactly! No one ever appreciates our club!"

"How many members do you have, exactly?" Minato questioned the legitimacy of a club he'd never heard of.

The strange shinobi looked down at his shoes. "Well… just me for now—" he looked back up and jumped forward, "— BUT WE'RE EXPANDING!"

"Uhh, do you have meetings every day?" Manami squinted her eyes in disbelief.

"Only Tuesdays."

A strange smile spread across Sai's face as he held up a finger. "Oh, are you the person I hear crying every Tuesday before I leave? Nice to meet you, strange crying man!"

Yamato shot a chilling glare at Sai before looking back at the others. "Just you wait, soon the Dark Magic Club will be bigger than the Host Club!"

Throughout the entire encounter, Kakashi stared, extremely focused on figuring out the familiarity of the man.

 _Where do I know him from? The bookstore? No, it's not that..._

Suddenly, the realization came to him.

"I'VE GOT IT! THAT'S HOW I KNOW YOU!"

Everyone turned to look at Kakashi. "I saw you walking near the memorial stone one day, but if I remember correctly someone called you Tenzo."

Yamato stepped back and pointed a stern finger in the masked ninja's direction.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Kakashi ignored him, continuing his thought. "Well, I hate to break it to you Tenzo, but the Host Club isn't actually a thing anymore."

Suddenly, Nezumi, the council member, poked his head in the door. "I thought I heard you in here, Yamato! You weren't in your club room and I got worried. Are you ready to go? I've been waiting on you."

Exasperated, Yamato left by throwing some type of black powder on the ground but as he did so, Koharu, who was standing closest to him, accidentally inhaled some of the powder.

Yamato turned to Nezumi once they were outside and grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, let's go."

Before the group could question the relationship, Koharu's view began to darken, and she started coughing. She felt herself begin to lose consciousness, and the next thing they knew, she fell to the ground.

* * *

When Koharu finally woke up, she didn't recognize her surroundings.

 _What? Wasn't I just in the Host Club room? Where did everyone go?_

The brunette pushed herself off of the ground and began walking around. She didn't have to figure out where she was before she heard someone call out to her.

"Hello, Koharu," an unfamiliar, soft, feminine voice called out.

Koharu's eyes widened and she turned around confused, pulling out a kunai to protect herself if she needed it.

She squinted her eyes as the figure walked closer. _Is that…?_

When the mysterious person got close enough for her to see, Koharu dropped her kunai. It hit the ground, the clank echoing all around her.

"Mom!"

Koharu ran up to her mother and hugged her tight. She pulled back to look at her mom, and a goofy grin spread across her face.

"How… Where…. What….?"

Her smile faltered as she started to think about what seeing her mom could mean. "Where are we? Wait… how are we able to see each other? Am I dead?"

Koharu's mom laughed, realizing how similar her daughter was to Jiraiya. "No, you aren't dead! It's a little difficult to explain..."

 _Her laugh… It's just how I remember it. So warm and comforting… I could listen to it forever._

Overwhelmed, the brunette couldn't help but start crying. Koharu's mom pulled her back into a hug, stroking her hair.

"Why am I here, mom?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. But as long as you're here, there are a few things I've been wanting to tell you!"

Koharu wiped her eyes and nodded. She watched her mom carefully.

 _I can't believe she's actually here, in front of me, laughing and smiling…_

"I'm so proud of you Koharu… No ordinary girl could take care of herself for almost 18 years."

Her mom paused, afraid to let go of her daughter, who she hasn't seen since she was a toddler.

"You tell your father if he continues to be gone as much as he is now, I will personally come haunt him for the rest of his life."

Koharu laughed. "You know, mom, I wasn't alone all those years… I had you watching over me… and I had Manami and Minato, of course."

Koharu's mom smiled. "Thank Manami for me for keeping you in line all these years…"

She chuckled. "Oh, and I always kind of thought you and Minato would end up together, but Kushina sure does keep him grounded! Plus, I like this guy of yours… Kakashi, right?"

Her mom winked, causing her to blush a little.

Koharu's mom continued, smiling. "He's a good guy, Koharu. You hold on to him."

Koharu grinned at her mom, still teary-eyed.

"I'm glad that even though you may not have been born into the greatest family, you sure have found a great one that loves and cares about you," her mother finished.

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head.

"Don't say that! You were a great mom, and I understand why dad is gone all the time. Although, you're right about the friends I've made. I really couldn't be any luckier."

Without warning, Koharu's mom began to fade away.

"Mom? What's happening?" Koharu panicked.

 _No, please. I'm not ready to say goodbye yet, Mom._

Her mother smiled. "Don't let them go, Koharu. Take care of them and yourself. I have a feeling they will be there for the rest of your life."

Before Koharu could respond, her mom pulled her into another hug. "I wish we had more time. There is so much more I wanted to tell you, but it looks like your friends are waking you up."

Koharu buried her face in her mom's shoulder. "I miss you everyday and I love you so much mom."

"I love you too, Koharu."

* * *

"Koharu? Koharu! Are you awake?" Manami shook her best friend's shoulder, attempting to get her to respond.

After what seemed like an hour, Koharu began to stir and was regaining consciousness. She opened her eyes to see Manami and Minato leaning over her, and she could feel Kakashi's hands propping her up.

Koharu looked around at the worried faces peering down at her and smiled.

"Koharu! Are you okay? You kept on mumbling things that didn't make sense." Shikamaru bent down next to Koharu.

"Oh, I just had a weird dream. I'm fine. Thank you guys for watching out for me."

Koharu slowly got up from the ground, and everyone stepped back to give her space.

"Sorry if I gave you guys a scare. I just got really dizzy from whatever that black powder was," she assured.

"You must have inhaled it or something," Manami nodded, analyzing her friend's symptoms.

Kushina put a hand on her shoulder. "We're just glad you're okay, Koharu. We just got concerned when you weren't responding to us."

Koharu smiled at her friends as Minato looked around the room.

"Well, I guess we shouldn't stay here too much longer. The sun is starting to set," the yellow-haired ninja noted.

The group nodded and dispersed, moving around the room again to make sure they didn't miss anything. As they were searching, Koharu glanced around the room at her friends.

"You're right, mom. This is my family," she whispered to herself.

Kakashi looked back at the brunette. "What? Did you say something, Koharu?"

She laughed lightly. "Oh no, it was nothing."

Minato sighed. "Okay everyone, it's getting late. I think it's time we lock it up."

"We may be leaving, but I still have two more years at this school. Plus, this room always smelled funny to me." Sai crossed his arms and looked around.

The group stared at Sai questioningly before Gaara spoke up.

"Maybe we could lock him up in the room," the redhead suggested.

"I second that," Itachi nodded.

"Believe it or not, I'm sure going to miss napping in here, and playing Shogi every day after school."

Koharu smirked. "You can always swing by my place and play a round, since I'm now the champion of all things Shogi."

Shikamaru sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Troublesome woman."

Minato smiled at his friends' antics and grabbed Kushina's hand as they made their way to the door.

"I guess this is it," Manami said as Gaara slid his hand around her waist.

"Yeah, I guess so," Koharu said to her best friend.

The rest of the host club trailed behind Minato and Kushina closely. As Koharu and Kakashi walked toward the door, they bent down to grab their bags. However, both grabbed the wrong bag without realizing it.

Before the group exited, they turned around and took a look for the last time. As they stood, each of them began to think about how Room 222 had changed their lives. One by one, the group turned away and left Minato to lock up.

 _Well, Minato,_ the Yellow Flash smirked. _Not all of your ideas are so bad after all._

* * *

A/N: I like to refer to this as chapter 66(6). -Ritsu


	67. Epilogue

Epilogue

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto, but if you guys stuck with us the whole way, we love you. -Mio, Ritsu, and Yui

* * *

 _I think I just heard a knock._

Koharu got up and started walking to the front door to go greet whoever was there.

It had been fifteen years since the end of the Konoha High School Host Club. Everyone had graduated, and the group was planning to get together again at Koharu and Kakashi's house.

Koharu pulled the door open, and a huge smile appeared upon seeing who the next person was.

"Kushina! Oh my gosh, you're so big! Please, come sit! Where's Minato?"

"Koharu, please, you see me everyday. You don't have to say that every time you see me, ya know!"

The brunette laughed. "I know, I know, but it's always so shocking to see you needing help doing stuff. It's so out of character for you."

Kushina rolled her eyes and began to walk inside. "Minato got held up at the office, but he'll be here soon. He's drowning in paperwork."

"I knew I should have stayed to help him." Koharu closed the door behind her redhead friend and shook her head. "Well like I said, come on in. Shikamaru's already asleep on the couch, and Temari and I were just talking about how 'troublesome' he is."

As the redhead walked into the house, a little boy no older than four ran up to her and grabbed her leg.

"Obasan Kushina!" greeted the grey-haired toddler.

Kakashi trailed in from around the corner, right behind his son. "Obito, stop that! Let Kushina sit down."

The copy ninja scooped up the boy and put him on his shoulders. With a proud and relieved smile, he turned to face Koharu. "I think Aisho is out for the night… I just put her to bed."

Koharu breathed a sigh of relief. _That's record timing! Aisho is always so much harder to put to bed than her brother…_

Soon, there was another knock on the door. Koharu walked over once again to greet the guests.

 _I bet I know who this is,_ she smiled to herself.

As soon as Koharu opened the door, Manami ran through the door, enveloping Koharu in a back-breaking hug.

"OBASAN MANAMI IS HERE TOO?! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!" yelled little Obito.

Kakashi laughed. "I think it's time for you to go join your sister."

Obito pouted and Kakashi put him on the floor. He eye smiled at his son. "How about if you go to bed now, I'll let you wear one of my masks?"

The toddler smiled at his dad as Kakashi grabbed his hand. Kakashi lead the young boy to his room.

"I'll be right back," he mouthed over his shoulder.

Gaara walked in behind Manami, closing the door. "Are we the last ones here?"

The brunette slipped from her best friend's grip and dusted herself off. "No, Minato is still at the office, and Sai and Itachi aren't back from the mission Minato sent them on. They should be back soon, though."

Gaara took off his jacket and turned to Manami. "Are you sure Oni will be fine without us tonight?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Manami reassured him. "Your brother is the one watching her, after all!"

Temari snorted, overhearing their conversation. "That's why he's worried!"

As the group settled down and began talking amongst one another, a flash of light appeared in the room. Minato showed up right on the coffee table, making a loud noise as he landed.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone! Who knew being hokage included so much paperwork?" He put his hand behind his head and laughed.

Suddenly, there was a loud cry heard from the back. "God Da...ng it," Kakashi groaned loud enough for everyone else to hear.

Koharu turned to Minato, trying to suppress her anger. "I asked you before I left if you needed any help, and you know Aisho always wakes up when you appear like that, _Minato._ "

The new Hokage scratched the back of his head and apologized.

"MINATO, GET BACK HERE AND HELP ME PUT AISHO BACK TO SLEEP! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" A distraught Kakashi yelled from the kid's bedroom.

Everyone laughed as Minato moped back to the bedroom. When they finally were able to put the little girl back to sleep, they came back to one final knock on the door.

Not bothering to wait for an answer, Itachi and Sai walked through the door still in their Anbu uniform. Both shinobi were out of breath and an overall mess.

"Sorry... we're late…" Itachi managed between catching his breath. "Just got back."

Sai nodded and attempted to further explain. "Luckily… all of our comrades… came back in one piece... Can't say the same-"

"Sai, if you say what I think you're about to, I _will_ end you," Koharu cut him off, glaring at him.

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Sai, it's been fifteen years. That joke isn't funny anymore."

Shikamaru mumbled from his sleep. "Then again… none of his are."

Everyone laughed, leaving Sai confused like always. Itachi cleared his throat and turned to Minato.

"Thanks a lot for sending us on the last minute trip, _Yondaime_ ," the Uchiha said sarcastically.

The Yellow Flash puffed out his chest, defending himself. "Hey! I could have sent you on one that lasted longer! Show some respect to not only your Hokage, but also your former president!"

Itachi rolled his eyes and patted Minato on the back as he and Sai walked past him and into the Hatakes' kitchen to get a glass of water.

"It's so nice to have everyone here again together! It's rare getting these moments now," Kushina commented.

"I agree! I miss seeing everyone all the time," Manami said.

Shikamaru mumbled again in his sleep before Temari rolled her eyes, deciding she had enough. She turned to her lazy husband and slapped his head.

"For goodness sakes, Shikamaru! COULD YOU JUST _GET UP_?!"

The shadow ninja sighed dramatically, moving into a sitting position.

"You're so troublesome," he grumbled, slinging an arm around her.

 _Oh no._ Koharu and Kakashi held their breath, afraid that Temari's outburst might wake Aisho up again.

After a few seconds, Kakashi exhaled. "I think we're safe this time, Koharu."

Koharu let go of the breath she was holding and turned to whisper to her husband. "The next person to wake her has to put her back to sleep. It's only fair."

The two Anbu walked back in from the kitchen, joining everyone else in the living room.

"So how has everyone been? What have you guys been up to? I need some exciting stories since I can't do anything like this, ya know," Kushina said, pointing to her stomach.

Minato laughed and put his hand on her stomach. "Can't have mommy going on any dangerous missions, isn't that right, kiddo?"

Sai leaned back on the couch. "Well, I think you can guess what Itachi and I have been up to. Just look at us, we're a mess."

Itachi scoffed. "Speak for yourself, Sai."

Kushina leaned forward. "So… what happened on the mission? I haven't been on one in months since _someone_ won't let me go."

The redhead sent her husband a glare and continued. "I'm dying to hear something."

The hokage frantically shook his hands back and forth. "Kushina, you're nine months pregnant! I've already told you I'm not doing anything that will put you _or_ Naruto at risk!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, _Yondaime_ ," the fiery redhead teased with an eyeroll.

Manami gasped, "You decided on a name for the baby? How adorable!"

Kushina beamed and nodded, and Minato squeezed Kushina's hand, matching her grin.

Koharu's eyes lit up with recognition. "Naruto? Isn't that from one of my dad's books?"

The Yellow Flash nodded and eye smiled. "Even though he's not here anymore, we thought it was a fitting name."

Koharu smiled and leaned into Kakashi. "If he were here, he would probably try to talk you out of it, but still hope that you wouldn't actually change your mind."

The copy ninja chuckled. _I'd say that's pretty accurate._

"Kakashi, I'm expecting you to teach him good things," Minato demanded.

Shikamaru turned to Kakashi. "Oh yeah, how _is_ being a Jounin instructor?"

"Well most of the kids are brats," Kakashi smiled, scratching his head. "But it's not too bad."

Koharu turned to her husband. "You can't keep calling kids brats when you have some of your own."

Kakashi ruffled Koharu's hair. "Yeah, but they're _my_ kids, so I know they won't be brats. Although they could take after their mom…"

The brunette feigned a chuckle and reached over to playfully hit him. "Ha ha, Very funny."

Kushina turned to Koharu. "And how about you? How is working beside my joke of a husband?"

Minato opened his mouth to protest but Kushina looked over and continued. "That I love _very_ much."

Koharu smirked and glanced over at Minato. "I do have to pick up most of the slack the Hokage here forgets about, so it's _quite_ exhausting."

The Yondaime sighed. "Really, does my title mean _nothing_ to anyone, anymore?"

The group laughed and Koharu patted Minato on the back. "You know we're only kidding, Minato. You're a great Hokage, and I'm sure you'll be an even better dad."

The village leader puffed out his chest. "You got that right."

Kushina smiled at her husband and then turned to Itachi. "What have you been doing, Itachi?"

"The Hokage keeps Sai and me pretty busy with all the missions he sends us on, so there's not much free time for us in the Anbu."

"You can just call me Minato, you know. We're not in a work setting."

The Uchiha laughed. "Sorry, it's a habit now."

Manami observed the pair. "You both look pretty exhausted. Are you sure you don't want to come to the hospital tomorrow to get checked out?"

Itachi looked down, inspecting himself. "Actually, that might not be a bad idea. But please, if anyone else does it but you, Manami, I- Well… Let's just say I'd prefer it to be you."

Sai nodded at his teammate and looked back at Manami. "Sometimes Itachi gets stressed out by all the medical terms!"

Itachi turned to his partner. "I told you _not_ to mention that, Sai."

Everyone chuckled and the Uchiha sighed.

Manami smirked and crossed her arms. "Just tell the secretary to send you straight to my room."

Minato turned to Gaara. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you, what did the Kazekage say about us hosting the Chuunin exams?"

The Suna sibling leaned back in his chair. "He said it's fine, and the Sand will send eight teams this year."

At the mention of the exams, Kakashi's eyes lit up as he started to think about how his Genin would do in this year's tournament. "Chuunin exams already…"

Shikamaru looked at his brother-in-law. "Oh yeah, how is being the Suna and Konoha ambassador?"

Gaara sighed. "It has it's ups and downs… I travel pretty often, which means time away from Manami and Oni, but we make up for the time we lose when I get back."

"We _sure_ do," the medic nin smirked and winked.

Gaara blushed and shook his head, mumbling. "Every time... "

The shadow ninja sighed, "I suppose I'm last on the 'updating everyone on their lives' talk."

Kakashi chuckled."I don't think we really needed an update… Everyone here sees you everyday, Shikamaru."

"Yeah, with your job as head of intelligence, I'm pretty sure we all have to see you at some point during the day," Koharu laughed.

"Plus, if you really wanted to, you have enough money to sit around and play Shogi all day," Sai noted.

Temari smirked. "I'm pretty sure that's what he does at work anyways."

Everyone laughed, not really surprised if that is what he did do.

"Shogi… Really takes you back to the Host Club days doesn't it," Koharu thought aloud.

A short silence fell in the room as everyone thought about their lives then versus now.

Minato smiled. "So much has changed since then… yet somehow, so much has remained the same, too."

"Wise words from our brave Hokage," Kushina sneered, with a wink toward Minato.

The hokage wrapped his arm around Kushina as a peaceful silence fell around the room again. The group continued to talk for a few more hours, all genuinely enjoying each other's presence.

"I hate to leave, but it's getting pretty late. We should get home to Oni," Gaara said, standing up.

"Yeah we probably should, but we definitely need to do this more often." Manami followed her husband's lead.

She turned toward Itachi. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"We should probably get going, also. I have an important meeting with the Feudal Lord in the morning," Minato sighed, as he helped his very pregnant wife off of the couch.

Sai was quick to continue on with the goodbyes. "Yes, I really need to go clean off from this wretched mission."

"You can say that again," Itachi agreed.

The pale ninja raised an eyebrow. "A strange request, but alright. Yes, I-"

"Not like that, Sai. I meant… Never mind. Let's go."

"I suppose we should leave as well," Shikamaru yawned.

Temari turned to Koharu and Kakashi. "Thanks for having us all over, it really was great. I'll talk to you soon, Koharu."

The blonde ninja looked around for her husband, who had already started his walk home.

"He is _so_ dead when I catch up to him."

Koharu and Kakashi stood up and watched as everyone made their way home, waving goodbye to their friends. When they were all finally out of sight, the couple walked upstairs to their bedroom and outside to their balcony, where they could see the entire village and the hokage monument that now had Minato's completed face on it.

Kakashi put his arms around the brunette. "Do you remember when we told Jiraiya we were going to get married?"

With a laugh, she nodded. "I don't think I could forget… The look on his face… He just kept going on about how you read his books."

The masked ninja laughed and a comfortable silence fell between the two. Kakashi pulled Koharu closer and kissed her head. "Thank you, Koharu."

The kunoichi turned around and faced her husband. "For what, Kakashi?"

"For everything. For the kids, for loving me, for healing me all those years ago, and for giving me the life I always wanted with you."

Koharu hugged Kakashi tightly. "Don't even get me started on my thank you list, Hatake."

The copy ninja chuckled and grabbed her hand. "I don't think you can call me that anymore… It is your name, too, you know."

Koharu laughed, looking back up at her husband.

"I really do you love you," the brunette said, smiling up at her best friend.

"I love you too…" Kakashi smirked, looking down at his wife. " _Almost_ as much as I love Mr. Ukki."

Koharu rolled her eyes as her counterpart winked. Kakashi reached down to her neck and adjusted the little gift he gave her so many years ago.

 _I remember that day just like it was yesterday…_

Kakashi squeezed his wife's shoulder. "Come on, let's go back inside."

As the pair walked back inside, they turned off the lights.

Koharu smiled. _I can't wait to live the rest of my life w-_

 _CLASH!_

"DAMN IT!" Kakashi cried as he ran into the table.

"KAKASHI!" Koharu whispered loudly. "I swear if-"

Not a moment later, Aisho's cry echoed throughout the house.

Koharu grabbed a cup of sake and leaned against the wall.

"It's all you, Hatake."

* * *

A/N: We may or may not have written an alternate ending to the story. ;) -Mio

I think the alternative ending really seals our fate in the ninth inner circle of hell. I really love you all for reading, and I'm so thankful for all of you. -Ritsu

Thank you guys so much for reading! We had a lot of fun writing this, so we hope you had fun reading it. Don't forget to tell your friends about the kick ass fanfic you just finished ;) Love you guys! -Yui


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